The Hats Podcast

The Hats Podcast is for anyone who wears many hats - mom, friend, business owner, athlete, sister, traveler, fashionista, doctor, etc. - and wants tips on how to balance their hats with style and grace! This show offers listeners personal stories from hosts Melissa Dumaz, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and Kerri Harper-Howie, an attorney and business owner, as well as tips for how they balance the many hats they wear. Join Melissa and Kerri for a fun and funny few minutes and learn a little something along the way!

190. The Role Model Hat 10/02/2024

190. The Role Model Hat Last week we talked fatherhood, and sometimes fathers are important role models in our lives. But, a role model can come in many shapes and sizes. In this episode, co-hosts Kerri and Melissa explore what it means to serve as a role model (whether you choose to be or not), and how to find one when you need one. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/33300382

189. The Fatherhood Hat 09/25/2024

189. The Fatherhood Hat Melissa and Kerri both had fathers that were absent for much of their childhood and all of their adulthood. To have active and wonderful fathers in their own households has been a beautifil experience. Listen to their husbands, Khalel and Sanford, talk about their experiences as sons of actively involved fathers and fathers to multiple children. This is a fun and enlightening episode for anyone who knows and loves a father. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/33205832

188. The Reconciliation Hat 09/18/2024

188. The Reconciliation Hat Are forgiveness and reconcilitation the same thing? Not quite. While both are extremely important to healthy relationships - which inevitably experience hurt and rifts - they can be quite distinct processes with very different outcomes. If you've struggled with moving past pain in a relationship, go back and listen to episode 24 The Forgiveness Hat, and then fast forward and list to this episode. You will then understand the clear differences between forgiveness and reconciliation, and be able to assess whether your current situation requires one or both. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/33005182

187. The No Agenda Hat - VP Kamala Harris 09/05/2024

187. The No Agenda Hat - VP Kamala Harris Black women are having a moment. Asian women are having a moment. Women are having a moment. The United States is having a moment! Vice President Kamala Harris earned the nomination of the Democratic party and is now running for POTUS! This is a MOMENT!! We are excited to introduce The No Agenda Hat series. In each of these episodes, co-hosts Kerri and Melissa will take a beat to talk and record without an agenda. It may be about a historic event happening, a significant time in our lives, or simply a subject that was not on our list, that defies topic questions and warrants a deviation from our regular programming. So, indulge us as we share without an agenda because we MUST talk about this MOMENT! Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/32905437

186. The Things We Need to Say Hat 08/28/2024

186. The Things We Need to Say Hat We shared recently about the devastating loss of dear friend of The Hats Podcast, Waraire Boswell. His passing reminded us that life is short and we have limited opportunities to say all the things we need to say. So, we tried in this episode to capture some of the messages we want to convey to some of the most important people in our lives. We get raw and vulnerable in this episode. We hope to inspire others to do the same. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/32770537

185. The Peer Pressure Hat 08/21/2024

185. The Peer Pressure Hat At your first high school party, someone passed around red cups holding "punch". When you put the cup handed to you up to your mouth, your nose tells you that this is no ordinary punch! What do you do? What about when the joint is passed around outside the office party? Or, when you go shopping with girlfriends and everybody else is spending amounts of money you know you don't have? Peer pressure comes at many ages and most environments. Listen to this episde of The Hats Podcast to get insights on how you can resist peer pressure, and how you can teach your kids to do the same. Also learn when you should give in to positive peer pressure! Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/32666292

184. The Layoff Hat - The Laid Off Said 08/14/2024

184. The Layoff Hat - The Laid Off Said "Honey, I got laid off." The words are said. What happens next? Co-hosts Kerri and Melissa's husbands share what happened to them after they had to utter these words ... more than once. Listen in to find out what Kerri and Melissa did right and wrong when they found out their husbands had been laid off, and how both households managed to get to the other side of layoffs that impacted their lives. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/32565272

183. The Lay Off Hat - The Partner Said 08/07/2024

183. The Lay Off Hat - The Partner Said It's a moment so many adults dred - you have to walk into your home or get on the phone and inform your partner or loved one that you have been laid off. What happens in that moment can be groundshifting for any relationship. Will an earthquakegive create a divide in the relationship and household that cannot be bridged? Or will the earth squeeze together creating a mountain you agree to climb together. Listen in to hear how Kerri and Melissa handled the MULTIPLE times each of their husbands got laid off. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/32465822

182. The Chief Household Officer Hat 08/02/2024

182. The Chief Household Officer Hat CEO. CFO. CMO. CHO? What is a Chief Household Officer? Co-hosts Melissa and Kerri explore this concept in this episode. Households do not run on their own. Somebody has to drive the ship. Sometimes it's one person, in other households there are co-CHOs. Listen in to find out how things flow in Melissa and Kerri's homes, assess how your your household functions, and decide if you want to keep things the same or do a few things differently. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/32395277

181. The Honeymoon Hat 07/26/2024

181. The Honeymoon Hat The wedding is over and it's time to take a break from it all - the planners, the family, the wedding party, the OPINONS!! Your honeymoon is designed to be a moment in time to help you and your new spouse transition from your single days into married life. A little break before reality sets in! Melissa and Kerri have very different honeymoon stories. Listen in to hear how they honeymooned, and get some tips and insights on how you can plan the right honeymoon for you and your partner. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/32307157

180. The Perspectives Hat 07/18/2024

180. The Perspectives Hat As they say, perception is reality. Your perspective in life, how you see the world, is based on how you choose to perceive things around you. Do you view things through the lense of a victim? Do you assume that people around you are there to support you? Do you see the glass as half-empty or half-full? Does your perspective differ based on the environment in which you find yourself? Listen to Kerri and Melissa, along with their husbands Sanford and Khalel, talk about how their perspectives in life have shaped their marriages, outlooks, parenting and other areas of their lives. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/32204392

179. The Wedding Hat 07/12/2024

179. The Wedding Hat Wedding bells are ringing! Actually, neither Kerri nor Melissa got married in churches where said bells would likely ring. They have very different wedding stories, but they have each yielded marriages the co-hosts feel blessed to be in. Listen to their wedding stories and get tips you can use when planning your wedding, being in someone else ceremony or sending off your child in matrimony. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/32106582

178. The Engagement Hat 07/03/2024

178. The Engagement Hat It's been decided - you can't imagine life without this person and you want to get married. Yay! It's an exciting time. But, how do you get from that thought to the ring on the finger? Kerri and Melissa's husbands, Sanford and Khalel, joined them for The Engagement Hat. Listen in to how these guys proposed and get some tips to figure out if you (and your partner!) are ready to pop the BIG QUESTION! Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/31966922

177. The Supportive Partner Hat 06/26/2024

177. The Supportive Partner Hat The new component to this season - Kerri and Melissa will welcome their husbands for evey guest episode! It's a big twist, and maybe a little bit of a gamble. But, we are excited to share more from the guests whose episodes have gotten the most listener downloads than anyone else. In the Supportive Partner Hat, Kerri and Melissa (who will still bring you "just them" episodes every other week) talk about what it means to be and have a supportive partner in life. Many people have partners; not all of them get the support they need from their partners. Listen in to get tips on how to be a better partner to your loved ones. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/31885647

176. She Said, He Said, We Said 06/19/2024

176. She Said, He Said, We Said Hello Hatters! We are so happy to finally be back with you again! This has been our longest hiatus ever - thank you for continuing to listen while we prepared to bring you a season like no other. No, we are not going all Gossip Girl as the title would suggest. Instead, we are bringing you what we have to say on the topics, as well as that of our most populat guests - OUR HUSBANDS!! When we bring our husbands to the show, you all listen and share episodes in greater numbers. As they say, we have decided to give the people what they want. So, look forward to Kerri & Mel's usual banter and get ready to hear from their husbands, Sanford & Khalel, every other week! Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/31759857

175. We Talked About All the Things ... 04/17/2024

175. We Talked About All the Things ... A lot of planning and thought go into publishing The Hats Podcast. We have a LOT of ideas. Some of the episodes from Season 7 have been brewing for years, others a few months. But, they are all topics co-hosts Kerri and Melissa have been passionate about bringing to the listeners. What a rich season it has been! Here's a recap you can listen to and see if your highlights are the same as ours! Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/30851578

174. The Incarceration Hat 04/03/2024

174. The Incarceration Hat What most of us know about incarceration comes from television shows and movies. As we all know, things are not always as Hollywood would have them seem. Prison rights activist Yolanda Williams gives us an up close and personal look at life behind bars - how a preacher's kid could end up there and redemption that can be found in the act of wrongdoing. Yolanda's story is fascinating and inspiring. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/30556648

173. The Politician Hat 03/27/2024

173. The Politician Hat It's a presidential election year. So, it is only right that we hear from a politician, right? The Hats Podcast is excited to welcome Pasadena School Board Member Patrice Marshall McKenzie to the show to discuss the transition from supporting elected officials to becoming one. Patrice shares with us how politics can be conciliatory and practical, and serve the best interests of all constituents. Her calm confidence and kindness will make you think "hunh, maybe I should consider a run myself!" Maybe not; but, she will make you have a little more faith in the folks running our government. Connect with us: /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/30556348

172. The Blended Family Hat 03/20/2024

172. The Blended Family Hat The Brady Bunch. The most iconic American blended family. With a few bumps in the road smoothed over by a loving mom and dad, they made combing two families into one all look so easy. But, navigating stepparenting, disciplinary styles, new spouses, new siblings and many other issues that arise in the course and scope of creating a new family where one previously existed can be extremely challenging. Listen to our guest RaShawn Vogelzon share how she created a blended family that incorporated her children, her second husband's children, her first husband and her new husband's second wife. Wow! Seems impossible, right? Well, it isn't. Listen in to find out how she did it and get tips on how to make all households, blended or not, happier, more peaceful places to be. Connect with us: /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/30467603

171. The Accountability Hat 03/06/2024

171. The Accountability Hat If you are going to wear many hats in life, you will have to hold yourself accountable to yourself and others. Accountability to yourself allows you to set boundaries that prevent you from becoming overwhelmed. Accountability to others opens the door to trust and relationship building. Listen to this episode which answers the following questions about accountability: What does it mean to be accountable? In what contexts is accountability most important? How do you deal with people who are not being accountable for their actions? Tips to make sure you are being accountable to yourself and others. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/30250098

170. The Feminine Energy Hat 02/28/2024

170. The Feminine Energy Hat What is the little thing that makes you speak a little softer, kinder, or more gently? How does that little thing interact with the impulse to drive hard to get results and advocate forcefully? Some say that we are describing the competing energy forces inside of all of us - feminine versus masculine energy. This was not a topic co-hosts Melissa and Kerri knew much about. So, unbeknownst to them, they wisely used their feminine energy instincts to ask for help from guest expert Dr. Zerri Gross. Listen to this episode to learn about how both types of energy reside within all of us and how we can balance them as needed depending on what we are facing each moment. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/30143268

169. The Competitive Spirit Hat 02/21/2024

169. The Competitive Spirit Hat Are you driven to always be number one? Do you jump through hoops to be the best of the best? If you answer either of these questios yes, you may have a strong competitive spirit. But, does being competitive mean always going against others? Does it also mean detracting from the success of others who inevitably beat you sometimes? Find out the answers to these questions and consider whether your competitive spirit is a positive driver or negative alienator. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/30049133

168. The Women in Law Enforcement Hat 02/14/2024

168. The Women in Law Enforcement Hat People of color have mixed experiences with law enforcement. Rarely do we get an insider's perspective behind the badge. And, even less frequently do we hear the voices of women officers. The Hats Podcast wanted to have this conversation, and former Secret Service Agent Holli Draines agreed to have it with us! Holli's story of life in law enforcement is inspiring, and a wonderful reminder of those "behind the blue wall" who truly honor their duty to protect and serve. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/29947528

167. The Digital Detox Hat 02/07/2024

167. The Digital Detox Hat If you are listening to this episode, then you may not be in the middle of a digital detox because you have to find us digitally! But, we hope that what you get out of this episode is that a digital detox, while necessary from time to time, can take many different forms. You can go cold turkey and sequester away in a cabin in the woods with no electricity, keep everything the same but reduce social media posts from 10 to 5 per day, and many other things in between. If you've been wanting to change the way you engage digitally, listen to this episode for tips and tricks for how to make it work. The benefits of a digital detox can be life altering! Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/29837228

166. The Healing Through Sisterhood Hat 01/31/2024

166. The Healing Through Sisterhood Hat Pioneering podcaster Dr. Joy Harden Bradford of the wildly successful podcast Therapy For Black Girls joins The Hats Podcast to talk about how women can heal through sister relationships. There is nothing quite like that moment when passing another woman and receiving the smile and nod that say "Sis, I see you!" And, those laughs and tears shared over brunch? Whole television series have been rooted in those sisterly occasions. Listen to co-hosts Melissa and Kerri discuss the unique bond between sisters (blood-related or chosen) and how we can heal through these deep and lasting relationships. Buy Dr. Joy's book: Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/29733583

165. The Hope Hat 01/24/2024

165. The Hope Hat Hope is the fuel that keeps us charging forward during the most difficult circumstances. When we consider the state of world - or, even our own lived experiences - living in a state of hope can feel naive. This episode of The Hats Podcast helps you see why hope is not naive, but necessary. And, co-hosts Kerri and Melissa give tips to move through the inevitable bouts of hopelessness you will encounter along the way. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/29628573

164. The Medically Assisted Death Hat 01/17/2024

164. The Medically Assisted Death Hat Any time we discuss death, the subject is emotional. This time it's emotional and controversial. The law in California changed some years ago to make the state one of the 11 that allow doctors to give people a lethal dose of medicine to end their lives. There are rules and circumstances that must be followed and exist, respectively. Returning to the show for a third time, guest therapist Thomas Pier walks us through the entire process. It's no exagerration to say listening to this episode could be a matter of painful life or peaceful death. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/29528373

163. The Gossip Hat 01/10/2024

163. The Gossip Hat "Girl, did you know that ...." Anytime a conversation starts this way, there is a good chance you are gossiping. But, what exactly is gossip, what are its consequences, and are there moments when gossip is a good thing? These are the issues Kerri and Melissa explore in this episode, while sharing personal stories about how gossip has impacted their lives. Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/29421023

162. The Foreplay Hat 12/27/2023

162. The Foreplay Hat Foreplay is not what you think it is. Well, it probably includes things that automatically come to mind. But, it can (and, arguably should) be so much more than something that leads to sex. If you've never thought of vacuuming as a form of foreplay, this episosde is a must-listen for you! Sex therapist and radio show show Dr. Jeshana Avent-Johnson schools us on many of the ways foreplay extends beyond the bedroom and into daily moments of you and your intimate partner's lives! Connect with us: Thank you for listening! We tip our hats to you! /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/29239803

161. The Hip Hop Hat 12/13/2023

161. The Hip Hop Hat Happy 50th Anniversary hip hop!! Tracing the roots, trunk and branches of hip hop music in one podcast episode is an impossible task. Festivals, documentaries, movies, articles and so much other media has been produced this year alone to celebrate this iconic, unapologetically Black art form. Co-hosts Kerri and Melissa could not think of a better way to usher in the next 50 years of hip hop than to invite their husbands - ultimate, hard core hip hop fans - to wax poetic on this true love of theirs. Listen in to their lively and in depth discussion of the topic. But, wait ... you will hear at the end ... there are so many words left unspoken! So, here are words of hip hop wisdom from them both: Sanford says: There are a host of incredible MCs from coast to coast (and the continent) who were not mentioned by name in this episode. Nonetheless, their contributions to the advancement of the hip hop art form is just as important. We hope you enjoy! Khalel top 10 favorite Hip Hop Artists of all time: Nas Rakim Jay-Z KRSOne Kool G Rap GZA Pharaoh Monch Snoop Dogg Ice-T Beanie Siegel No order. /episode/index/show/thehatspodcast/id/29052388

The Hats Podcast

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