FREE

Spring 2014

Urban Trendsetters News Magazine Urban Trendsetters News Magazine

More than a Magazine it’s a Lifestyle More than a Magazine it’s a Lifestyle

The 2014 Spring Shopper’s Special

Celebrating Minority Health Month Join the Urban Trendsetters Fit & Trendy Challenge with America’s Diet Free Life Coach

Robert Ferguson, MS CN

Featuring Trendy Saving Coupons & MORE!!!

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Publisher ’s Message

“If I’d known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself. –Eubie Blake

Welcome to the 11th Annual Health and Wellness edition of Urban Trendsetters. Once again this year we are the media spon-sor for the African American Male Health Walk and people throughout the city are working out and gearing up for 5 mile walk for Wellness. Even though African Americans comprise a relatively small percentage of the population, as a minority group African Americans often suffer a greater percentage of incidence of many of the leading health conditions in the United States. According to the National Center for Minority Health and

Health Disparities a division of the National Institutes of Health, the concept of health disparities is defined as differences in the occurrence, death rate, and burden of health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States. What you can do now? According to Healthy People 2014 (a series of documents which provide a guide for improving the health of our nation’s people) by following some of these recommendations, we as African Americans can significantly reduce the threat of some of these illnesses. Healthy People 2014, is focused on two overarching goals:

1. Increasing Quality and Years of Healthy Life and 2. Eliminating Health Disparities. To measure the health of the United States over the next 10 years, a series of Leading Health Indicators have been developed reflect the major health concerns in the United States at the beginning of the 21st century. The Leading Health Indicators were se-lected on the basis of their ability to motivate action, the availability of data to measure progress, and their importance as public health issues. Some key health indicators include: • Physical Activity • Overweight and Obesity • Tobacco Use • Substance Abuse • Responsible Sexual Behavior • Injury and Violence • Access to healthcare These health indicators can be turned into action steps that will improve your health dramatically if you will consider:

• Increasing Physical Activity • Reducing Overweight and Obesity • Eliminating Tobacco Use • Eliminating Substance Abuse • Engaging in Responsible Sexual Behavior • Reducing Injury and Violence Seeking Access to healthcare The state of African American health today According to the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities, over the last twenty years, the

overall health of our nation has improved significantly, however there are persistently higher rates of disease and death in African Americans as well as other minority populations. Some of the reasons why health disparities exist are lack of access to health care, poverty, discrimination and cultural barriers. Some examples of health disparities include: Infant Mortality, Heart Disease and Stroke, Cancer, Diabetes HIV/AIDS. Alt-hough the statistics are high regarding the state of African American health, there is still good news! Many of the conditions that impact the health of African Americans can be reduced today by making changes in our lifestyle. Join Urban Trendsetters at the African American Health and Wellness walk on August 9th (for more information view the advertisement on page 11). In addition, Urban Trendsetters will launch the UTS Fit Club at this years walk so stop by our booth and register. In the meantime log on to www.urbantrendsetters.com for more information on the UTS Fit Club and how you can take your own Healthcare Initiative into your own hands.

Here’s to your health, Dream Big and Often

Sharon S. Gordon, Founder /

Publisher of Urban Trendset-

ters News Magazine

Join Me for the Fit and Trendy Diet Free Life Challenge!

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IN THIS ISSUE

Page 5: Women and Students of Color Disproportionately

Raising Children While in College, See Lower Earnings

after Graduation

Page 6: Microsoft Teams Up With Popular HBCU Web

Site To Host VIP Reception For Black HR Professionals In The Maryland, D.C., Virginia Area

Page 7: Why Network Marketing?

Page 8: Reverend Jesse Jackson to be honored at the

Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference

Page 9: Is President Obama Hurting (or Helping) Black

Businesses?

Page 10: You Call That News?!

Page 12: The Urban Trendsetters Fit & Trendy Diet Free

Life Challenge

Publisher/CEO

Sharon S. Gordon

Editor-at-Large

Alicia (“A.C.”) Dunlap

V.P. Sales & Marketing

Lisa Freeman-Williamson

Sales

Leonette Robinson

Contributing Writers

Delois R. Wright

Brenda Spencer

Mykayla Bryant

Production/Graphics

Mayda Sanchez

Online

Ashley Corry

Distribution

Cobre’ Gordon

UTS Grind & Go Street Team

Copyright

Urban Trendsetters is published monthly and distributed the first Thursday of every month as a comple-

mentary publication by Myshbre’ Media and Communication, LLC,5773 Emporium Square, Columbus,

OH 43219. Publisher reserves the right to edit, reject or cancel any advertisement or editorial

Urban Trendsetters Distribution Location

Franklin County Libraries

Montgomery County Libraries

City of Columbus

Columbus Urban League

Local Restaurants and Venues

Selected Walgreens

Columbus Area Kroger Stores

Columbus Health Department

COMBA

Community Non-Profit Organizations

Increase CDC

Beauty and Barber Shops

SBA - Columbus Office

SBDC at Columbus State

King Arts Complex

Columbus Chamber of Commerce

The Columbus Settlement Houses

ECDI Would You Like Urban Trendsetters in

Your Business Location? Call Us Today 614-526-8871

Visit Our Website for Our Full List of Distribution Locations

www.urbantrendsetters.com

Team UTS

What is the BEE Business Directory?

The BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) Business Directory is a community re-source for locating African Americans in business and to communicate additional businesses, resources and services available to build and enhance opportunities in the community. Our first edition of The BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) Busi-ness Directory will launch in Central Ohio. The BEE Business Directory will be pub-lished in print and online.

The printed version will be available for distribution September 2014. Our goal is to register over 500 businesses by submission date August 1, 2014. Join Us!

GET LISTED ONLINE TODAY!

WWW.URBANTRENDSETTER.COM

GET YOUR Free Business Listing

Premium Directory Launch

Specials Available

Including,,,,,

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS /

VIDEOS / AUDIO

COUPONS / DIGITAL /

PRINT & MORE

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COMMUNITY

WASHINGTON, -- A new Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) report finds that 4.8 million college students in 2012 had their own dependent children, representing more than one in four (26 percent) of all college students, up from 23 percent in 2008. The re-port was released today in conjunction with "Lumina Ideas Summit: New Models of Student Financial Sup-port."

The report also finds that women—who are 71 percent

of all student parents—are disproportionately likely to

be balancing college and parenthood, many without

the support of a spouse or partner. Women college

students of color are more likely than other college

students to have dependent children: nearly half (47

percent) of African American women students, 39.4

percent of Native American women students, and 31.6

percent of Latina students are mothers. Being a stu-

dent parent is associated with higher levels of unmet

financial need, low levels of college completion, and

higher levels of debt upon graduation.

Women and many communities of color face lower

earnings than men, and than white and Asian gradu-

ates. Segregation in majors may play a role in differen-

tial earnings after graduation.

Black workers must have a bachelor's degree for their

median earnings to equal those of a white worker with

an associate's degree, and a master's degree to equal

those of white and Asian bachelor's degree holders.

Women with bachelor's degrees earn only 73% of what

comparable men earn, and black and Hispanic workers

overall with bachelors' degrees earn only 80% of what

comparable white workers earn.

Women are much less likely to major in STEM fields:

Engineering technologies and computer IT sciences

are among the five most common associates' degree

majors for men but not for women.

Barbara Gault, IWPR Vice President and Executive

Director comments, "To make college more afforda-

ble, increase completion rates, and improve the out-

comes of college for low-income adults, we must con-

sider new approaches, like expanding child care sup-

ports for those raising children, and addressing sex

and race segregation in college majors."

Women and Students of Color Disproportionately Raising Children While in College, See Lower Earnings

after Graduation

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Call Us Today 614-526-8871

EDUCATION

1808 E. Broad

Columbus, OH

43203

614-526-8871

Alexandria, VA — HBCUConnect.com,

in partnership with Microsoft, recently

held a successful diversity recruitment

and networking event for Black HR pro-

fessionals in the Washington D.C. area.

Attended by over 65 guests, including

leadership from Microsoft, HBCUCon-

nect.com and National Association of

African Americans in Human Resources

(NAAAHR), the event allowed attendees

to make new connections with area col-

leagues as well as network with Microsoft

personnel in order to discuss potential

career opportunities.

“Microsoft is well-known as a supporter

of diversity in the workplace,” explains

Will Moss, founder and CEO of

HBCUConnect.com. “Their opinion is

that more diversity leads to more impres-

sive innovation and better ideas, two con-

cepts that are especially important in the

software and high-tech industries.”

The event included a presentation from

Gwen Houston, General Manager, Diver-

sity & Inclusion, whose statement on the

Microsoft website states, “Building an

inclusive organization is not just about

the diversity scorecard data we track to

measure our progress. It is as much about

our attitude and behaviors as leaders and

having a sense of empathy for the differ-

ent experiences that people go through.

The ability to effectively engage and

work with others who are different from

us is not necessarily an innate skill; it

must be learned.”

The event was conceptualized, managed

and hosted by HBCUConnect.com in

partnership with Microsoft’s Corporate

HR Staffing team. This is the second

event that HBCUConnect.com has exe-

cuted with Microsoft; the previous event,

held in 2013, focused on recruiting black

software engineers, a field traditionally

dominated by younger Caucasian males.

HBCUConnect.com is planning another

event for Microsoft toward the end of

May, as well as a career fair in collabora-

tion with the Atlanta Greek Picnic week-

end in June 2014.

Microsoft, founded in 1975, is considered

a world leader in office productivity soft-

ware. The company’s workforce recently

saw an increase in minorities from 36

percent in 2012 to 38 percent in the 2013

fiscal year.

HBCUConnect.com was established to

help students and graduates of Historical-

ly Black Colleges and University better

connect with each other and with scholar-

ships, internship and career opportunities.

Companies interested in executing similar

events targeting African American pro-

fessionals should contact Daniel Moss at

dmoss@hbcuconnect.com.

HR professionals should visit

www.hbcuconnect.com/microsoft/hr for

more opportunities.

Microsoft Teams Up With Popular HBCU Web Site To Host VIP Reception For Black HR Professionals In The Maryland, D.C., Virginia Area

Will Moss (2nd from left), founder of HBCUConnect.com, poses with mem-bers from the HBCU Connect/ Mi-crosoft team

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Put simply, Network Marketing is

just a way for businesses to distrib-

ute their products. If you have

been looking for ways to earn a

good residual income from home,

then network marketing may be

the right choice for you. Right

now, when you are reading this,

there are vast opportunities build-

ing up in network marketing pro-

grams. So this is just the right time

for you to pitch in and start build-

ing your business.

In network marketing, the work you

put in today will provide a residual

income for you and your family for

years to come.

The distribution process, used in tra-

ditional marketing, moves a product

from the manufacturer to the ware-

house to the wholesaler to the retailer

to the end customer. On the other

hand, network marketing companies

use a network of independent mar-

keters to move the product directly

from the manufacturer to the end

customer.

As one of these independent market-

ers, you earn a percentage of the

profit on all sales you make. Of

course, it’s quite possible for you to

earn a good income by selling the

product directly to the customer, but

the real punch in network marketing

lies in the power it gives you to build

a downline. You have the freedom to

build a downline of other independ-

ent marketers below you. As a re-

sult, you stand to gain by earning a

percentage of their combined sales.\

Give it some thought. As a tradi-

tional marketer, you may be quite

happy with the handful of existing

customers you already have. But

imagine the potential of having a

downline of, say, a hundred people

who also make some sales and

you’re earning a percentage of all

those sales!! By having a downline

working under you, you can effec-

tively multiply the time you put into

your work. Imagine having a down-

line of 1,000 people each putting in

only an hour a day five days a week.

In one month 20,000 hours of work

would be done. It would take one

person alone 10 years to produce the

same amount of work.

So it IS possible, to make huge

amounts of monthly incomes from

network marketing. It isn’t all hype.

All you need is some hard work and

basic intelligence, as in any other

job. So why not try and make this

work? After all, you won’t have to

do the 9 to 5 grind five days a week.

You’ll have more time for your fami-

ly and yourself. Don’t you find that

wonderful?

Why Network Marketing?

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Business

Don Jackson, Chairman and CEO Central City Production will be presented with the Trailblazer Award at the 2014 Black Enterprise Entrepre-neurs Conference + Expo

(New York, NY) — Join the Small Business Revolution as BLACK ENTER-

PRISE holds its 2014 Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo hosted by Nationwide

Insurance on Wednesday, May 14 through Saturday, May 17, at the Hyatt Regen-

cy Columbus in Columbus, Ohio, with a powerhouse line-up of some of the na-

tion's most accomplished and celebrated entrepreneurs.

An annual highlight of the conference is the presentation of the nation’s top awards

for African American business achievement and community involvement. The B.E.

Community Empowerment Award which recognizes outstanding achievement of an

individual dedicated to the economic empowerment of communities, as a champion

of entrepreneurship and business growth, employment opportunities and wealth

creation for African Americans, will be presented to civil rights activist and found-

er of Rainbow/PUSH, Reverend Jesse Jackson at the BE 100s Dinner on Friday,

May 16, at the Hyatt Regency Columbus.

Reverend Jackson has been called the "Conscience of the Nation" and "the Great

Unifier," challenging America to be inclusive and to establish just and humane pri-

orities for the benefit of all. He is known for bringing people together on common

ground across lines of race, culture, class, gender and belief. Reverend Jackson be-

gan his activism as a student in the summer of 1960 seeking to desegregate the lo-

cal public library in Greenville and then as a leader in the sit-in movement. He was

soon appointed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to direct the Operation Breadbasket

program. In December of 1971, Reverend Jackson founded Operation PUSH

(People United to Serve Humanity) in Chicago, IL. The goals of Operation PUSH

were economic empowerment and expanding educational, business and employ-

ment opportunities for the disadvantaged and people of color.

Rev. Jackson established the Rainbow PUSH Wall Street Project in 1996, an out-

growth of a social justice movement working to secure both equal opportunity and

protection under the law for all Americans. Rainbow PUSH Coalition is also cham-

pioning the need to open up a new era of growth and inclusion of African Ameri-

cans and people of color in Silicon Valley’s technology industry.

The Black Enterprise Trailblazer Award which will also be awarded at the BE 100s

Celebration and Awards Dinner, will be presented to Don Jackson, Chairman and

CEO, Central City Production, Inc. Mr. Jackson will be recognized for his pioneer-

ing and sustained achievement in business with broad and positive impact on both

his industry as well as the community at large. Central City Production produces

the Stella Awards annually and works in partnership with Black Enterprise for the

production of the Black Enterprise Business Report and Our World with Black En-

terprise which are nationally syndicated.

The 2014 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo boasts high-

powered sessions on critical business topics such as Winning Corporate Clients,

Finding Angel Investors, Social Media Marketing, Franchising, Doing Business in

Africa, Business Coaching, Generating Cash for your Start-up, Using Mobile Mar-

keting, Using Search Engine Optimization to Sell Your Goods and How to do Busi-

ness with the Government.

Confirmed speakers include:

T. D. Jakes, CEO, T.D. Jakes Enterprises

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Founder Rainbow/PUSH

Valerie Daniels Carter, Co- Founder, President & CEO, V&J Holdings

Rodney Sampson, author of Kingonomics

Amanda Miller Littlejohn, Personal Brand Strategist, AML Consulting

Necole Parker, CEO Elocen Group

Paul Judge, CEO, Judge Ventures, Co-founder Opportunity Ventures

Michael Stone, Founder & Executive Director, Professional Athlete Franchise

Initiative

Edgar Smith, Founder, Chairman & CEO, World Pac Paper

Rumia Burbank, President, VMS365

Frantz Tiffeau, Director, Supplier Diversity, Nationwide Insurance

Lisa Ascolese, President, Inventing A to Z

Miriam Brewer, Director of Education & Diversity, International Franchise

Association

Kevin Hicks, Partner, Blackman & Associates

Douglas Guy, Peer Africa

Karl Turner, Founder ALC Foods

Candace Shiver, MBDA

Julia Wilson, CEO of Wilson Global Communications

Felicia Hatcher, Owner, Feverish Gourmet Popsicles

Arsha Jones, Proprietor, Capital City LLC( Capital City Mumbo Sauce)

Ulysses Bridgeman, Jr., Manna Inc.,

Eugene Cornelius, Deputy Associate Administrator, Field Operations, SBA For the aspiring entrepreneur, The Small Business Success™ Bootcamp offers

practical advice on how to take your business to the next level. Plus, the Black En-

terprise Elevator Pitch Competition will award $10,000 for the best new business

idea. The producers of the ABC reality series Shark Tank will also be holding open

casting during the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo in their

search to discover the next successful enterprise.

The 2014 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo hosted by Nation-

wide Insurance is presented by General Motors and Walmart. Platinum sponsors

include FedEx and JP Morgan Chase. Corporate Sponsors include Hilton World-

wide and Huntington Bank. Official Partners includes, PR Newswire, The Firm

Development and Urban Trendsetters.

For updates, follow BLACK ENTERPRISE Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo

page on Facebook and search the #BEEC2014 hash tag on Twitter.

REV JESSE JACKSON TO BE HONORED AT THE BLACK ENTERPRISE ENTREPRENEURS CONFERENCE IN COLUMBUS, OH MAY 14-17

Reverend Jessie Jackson Don Jackson

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Business

Harry Alford, founder and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Com-merce, has positive comments regarding the growth of black businesses and is quick to point out that a 60 percent growth rate for black business between 2007-2007 is good. But, why does Mr. Alford say that the Obama administration is "not good for business and especially black business?”

Alford's concern about black businesses Alford uses terms such as "parity" and "inequality gap" in voicing his con-cerns that there needs to be more progress among black business own-ers. Currently, about 7.3 percent of all small businesses are owned by African Americans. Alford looks at this as a good start but certainly not where they need to be. The number of firms owned by blacks and revenue produced by black business owners should be considerably higher in order to place them on equal footing with mainstream American business owners. So, what does this have to do with the Obama administration? Specific industries such as engineering, IT, and construction manage-ment are underrepresented by blacks. Alford particularly focuses in on the construction industry and points out that Obama is a strong support-er of construction unions. The problem is that construction unions are not strong supporters of small businesses, particularly those owned by minorities, including blacks, Hispanics and women. In addition, there are fewer Small Business Administration (SBA) backed loans for blacks, and much less federal contract work for blacks. Alford wants to see more African American entrepreneurship, more job creation in black communities and more support for black business owners. What do you think? Is he right? For more details about Harry Alford and/or the National Black Chamber of Commerce, visit: www.nationalbcc.org

Harry Alford, founder

and CEO of the Nation-

al Black Chamber of

Commerce

Is President Obama Hurting (or Helping) Black Businesses?

614-526-8871

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Business

You Call That News?! A recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) business re-

port detailed the inability of Black-owned busi-

nesses to be approved for SBA-backed loans

made through America's most prolific small busi-

ness lenders. And while it was satisfying - in a

weird kind of way - to have confirmed what Black

business owners have known for years, it was

however something of a gut punch to learn just

how bad the situation has become.

As you might imagine, there are several reasons

this latest report is so disturbing: the economy

overall is "rebounding" - at least according to the

WSJ report of March 14; as a function of the

rebound, SBA lending spiked to $30.29 BILLION in the most re-

cent fiscal year; that Black-owned businesses were approved for

2.3% (1,242!) of the 54,000 SBA-backed loans last year pales in

significance only to the further horror that those loans represent-

ed a p-a-l-t-r-y ONE POINT SEVEN PERCENT of the dollar value of

those loans - $325 million.

So get this straight: While the economy is (relatively) booming and the

number of Black-owned businesses is skyrocketing (now about 7% of

the total number of US businesses), federally backed loans to sup-

port the growth and development of these businesses is not just

shrinking, it's practically disappearing. Shameful is one way to put

it...

...a challenge worthy of a solution is the way we see it! Since the market

crisis that saw the average credit score of Black borrowers plummet, and

the average size of business loans surpass a million dollars, we also saw:

Congress enact the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

(Dodd-Frank), USBC forge a relationship with the National Bankers

Association that resulted in $5 million being deposited into Black

-owned financial institutions, and - most recently - Maria Contreras-

Sweet confirmed as the new Administrator of the U.S. Small

Business Administration.

We believe that Administrator Contreras-Sweet - who founded ProAmeri-

ca Bank in Los Angeles - "gets it." Our conversations with her lead us

to believe that the shrinking numbers of loans to African American busi-

nesses troubles her, too, and that she will immediately go to work to

make improvements. During her recent confirmation speech, Administra-

tor Contreras-Sweet declared that one of her top priorities would be to

ensure that sufficient funding would be granted to the hardworking

minority businesses that need it the most. We support utilizing in-

novative, non-traditional avenues of lending money to minority firms to

guarantee success. Continuing the same-old strategies of asking banks

to lend to Black firms and expecting a different outcome is insanity!

Among our recommendations to her is enforcement of Section

342 of the Dodd-Frank Act. This piece of the Wall Street Reform Act -

authored by California Congresswoman Maxine Waters - contains little

used (and more rarely enforced) provisions governing the activities of

financial institutions AND the federal agencies that oversee their opera-

tions. If enforced, Section 342 would fit the description "Community Re-

investment Act On Steroids." In a nutshell, if a bank's hiring practices,

procurement policies and lending performance don't demonstrate their

commitment to a level playing field, (at least on paper) that bank can't -

- or shouldn't be allowed to -- borrow money from the Federal Reserve.

If a bank can't borrow money cheaply, it can't lend money at a profit. If

a bank doesn't make a profit it's either declared insolvent and goes out

of business, or it's bought by another, bigger bank. Unfortunately, it

seems some banks would rather face the prospect of insolvency or take-

over than lend money to a Black-owned business!

One bright spot that we are working furiously to replicate is the success

of

the

USBC member chamber in Beaufort, SC. Beaufort County Black

Chamber of Commerce (BCBCC) President, Larry Holman, and his

team underwent the rigorous training to become a Community

Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and have actually be-

gun to make loans to business owners. We believe there is a near

term opportunity to capitalize on the South Carolina CDFI success story

and improve access to capital for Black owned businesses. Who knows?

Maybe the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. will solve the riddle of access to

capital for Black businesses!

By Ron Busby

President, US Black

Chamber, Inc.

L to R: Sach Takayasu, President, Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship (ACE), SBA Administrator Maria Contre-ras-Sweet, Ron Busby, President, U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC), Javier Palomarez, President, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC))

(L to R: Ron Busby, President/CEO, USBC; Marion Burns, Chairman, Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce (BCBCC), Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling,

Larry Holman, President, BCBCC)

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11

Fit N Trendy

If you started your application for healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act

(ACA) but didn't finish before the March 31st deadline, the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services (HHS) will give you until April 15, 2014, to complete your application.

According to HHS, you can still sign up if you tried to enroll but did not make the deadline

because:

You couldn't start or continue your application because you couldn't get through to

HealthCare.gov or the Marketplace Call Center;

You encountered maintenance periods that kept you from using the Healthcare.gov

site;

You were blocked by Healthcare.gov error screens or similar technical issues;

You were unable to get an appointment with a Navigator or other application assister

before the March 31 deadline--or you were working with an assister but didn't finish enrol-

ling in time; or

You sent in an application by mail and didn't get an eligibility result before the dead-

line.

If you fall in one of those categories, HHS is offering you two ways to complete your appli-

cation:

Go to Healthcare.gov and log in to your online Marketplace application. You can simply

pick up where you left off to complete the enrollment process. In order to finish enrol-

ling, you'll have to confirm a statement that you tried to enroll before March 31 but

were unable to complete your application.

1. Contact the Marketplace Call Center. Be sure to tell the customer service representative

that you tried to enroll before March 31. They can help you finish enrolling by phone. Call

1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325). The lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you enroll by April 15, your coverage will begin May 1, and you won't need to pay the

individual responsibility payment (commonly referred to as "the penalty") for the months of

2014 that you didn't have health coverage.

Fredette West, Director of the African American Health Alliance, remarked, "If you are

confused or get stuck, call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 for help. Just

don't let time run out on you. Your health is the most valuable thing you own–and, thanks

to the Affordable Care Act, you can protect it."

West added, "The ACA provides access to much-needed, high quality, affordable

healthcare coverage. Given the volume of pressure on the system since open enrollment

began, we commend the wisdom of the Obama Administration in giving those who need

extra time a chance to finish signing up." West added, "If you are seeking coverage this

year, remember to act quickly as April 15th is approaching quickly."

To finish applying for coverage, go to Healthcare.gov or call the Marketplace Call Center at

1-800-318-2596. Enrollment assistance is available 24 hours a day in 150 languages.

For information on the African American Health Alliance, visit

www.africanamericanhealthalliance.org; email: healthalliance@comcast; or phone: 301-

576-0845

African American Health Alliance: No Penalty If You Finish Signing Up for Coverage by April 15th

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12

THE FIT & TRENDY DIET FREE LIFE CHALLENGE

An Interview with Robert Ferguson

By Sharon S. Gordon

In celebration of Minority Health Month, Urban Trendsetters is proud

to announce our partnership with Robert Ferguson, MS, CN. Robert is

the Founder and CEO of Diet Free Life and board member on the presi-

dential taskforce on obesity for the National Medical Association. Rob-

ert pioneered the ‘eat to lose’ concept and is once again redefining

weight loss with his NEW CARB STEPPING TECHNIQUE. He’s

helped over a half-million people lose weight eating real food (their fa-

vorite foods).

As an entrepreneur, entertainer, motivational speaker, author, certified

nutritionist and fitness expert, Robert has worked with a myriad of For-

tune 500 companies, celebrities to include LaToya Jackson, Ricki Lake,

Toni Braxton, Julie Roberts, Bobby Bonilla, Fernando Vargas, Mariel

Hemmingway, Chaka Chan, Boris Kodjoe, Nicole Ari Parker, Chuy

Bravo, Lynn Whitfield and the lead nutrition consultant for the soap

opera Days Of Our Lives book “Better Living”.

In an interview with Ferguson we discussed the ‘Diet Free Life’ revolu-

tion and more.

1: How did you get started in the diet and nutrition industry?

Robert Ferguson: I’ve always had an interest in nutrition and weight loss,

because I grew up watching my mother go from one diet to another. Then, in

1995 I was asked to present a weight loss seminar to a group of women and

afterward they made it quite clear that it was the best weight loss talk they

had ever heard. It was at this time that I decided to get educated on nutrition

and fitness so I would be able to provide detailed recommendations that

would contribute toward helping others optimize their situation.

2: What is the basic strategy of the Diet Free Life and how does it differ

from other diet programs? Why is this difference so significant?

Robert Ferguson: Diet Free Life is about meeting you where you are and

showing you how to eat real food (your favorite foods), lose all the weight

you want and never fall prey to conventional dieting again. There are two

key unique aspects of the Diet Free Life System. First, when I say meet a

person where they are, that includes their financial situation, cultural desires,

convenience and taste preferences. Secondly, with the Diet Free Life System

you learn why we gain weight so you can reverse it. Frankly put, the primary

reason people gain weight is how they consume carbohydrates. And, we are

all different. Some people can eat a lot of carbs and not gain an ounce and

others seem to put on weight by merely looking at carbs. The Diet Free Life

System shows you how to customize how you eat carbs to your unique me-

tabolism. Once you know this number (carb threshold), you can then lose all

the weight you want, and begin increasing your carb threshold so you can eat

more of your favorite foods without gaining weight.

3: What is the difference between the Food Lover's Diet and The Diet

Free Life Program?

Robert Ferguson: The Food Lovers program has my methodology, which I

co-developed with Provida Life Sciences. Food Lovers like the books I

wrote prior to rolling this program out is a good program, but it’s a blanket

approach. The Diet Free Life System is the most unique weight loss method

available because it helps you identify your carb threshold (the amount of

carbs you can eat without gaining weight). Let’s face it, it’s not eating too

much protein or fat that is causing us to gain weight. It’s carbs. We all have

a unique DNA and fingerprint. Well, we have a unique metabolism that re-

sponds to carbohydrates differently. The Diet Free Life System helps you

unlock the gateway to being able to personalize how your body burns off

unwanted body fat.

4: What does meeting people where they are mean?

Here’s the deal: some people can afford to grocery shop at WholeFoods, and

others are faced with discounted stores. Meeting a person where they are in-

cludes economically. Whether you’re rich or experiencing poverty, the Diet

Free Life System works no matter what you’re budget. All the same, meet-

ing a person where they are takes into consideration cultural dishes. Instead

of saying no to fried food, I show people how to eat it and still lose weight.

Again, meeting a person where they are means exactly that – meeting you

where you are.

Robert Ferguson, Author and Founder of ‘Diet Free Life’

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THE FIT & TRENDY DIET FREE LIFE CHALLENGE

5:

Why do traditional diets fail?

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “If you learn only methods you will be

tied to your methods, but if you learn principles you can devise your own

methods.” There are many methods for losing weight. You can count calo-

ries, eat pre-packed food and avoid certain food groups to name a few. But

what happens when you stop counting calories or no longer eat the pre-

packaged food? You gain all the weight back. Diets are about deprivation,

restriction and feelings of dejection. With the Diet Free Life System you

learn principles so you can make the most of the food you have in front of

you. Whether it’s fast food, casual or fine dining, organic or not, when you

have the principles you make fat burning meals with whatever foods you

have access to.

6: Is there an exercise

component to the pro-

gram?

I recommend fitness,

but I begin with food.

And the same as food,

when it comes to fitness

I meet people where

they are. Some of us

haven’t exercised in

years and others are

regulars at working out.

In addition to providing

exercise education, I

provide an 8 week anytime, anywhere fitness plan for all levels of fitness as

well as provide two workouts on one DVD to make becoming more active

easier.

7: Explain the Diet Free Life Challenge?

We have a community website where we have a variety of challenges that

includes the weight loss challenge, diabetic challenge, cholesterol challenge

and Xtreme Body Challenge to name a few. Simply put, you choose the

challenge that is going to provide you with the change you want. People

love the idea of participating in a challenge and our Diet Free Life Chal-

lenges are result-focused and empowering mentally.

8: What does living diet free mean?

Diet Free is a way of thinking. In short, you either have a diet mentality or a

diet free mentality. The goal is to break free of the diet mentality so that

food can be the celebration of life. The opposite of a diet mentality is one

where you can’t eat that, must eat this and faced with a dozen rules about

food. I’ve never met a person who said they want to live life on a diet. Diet

free embodies the freedom of choice and an expression of life.

9: You are currently working with and have worked with many celebs

who are they?

I have worked with Ricki Lake, La Toya Jackson, Chaka Khan, Toni Brax-

ton to name a few. I’ve also worked with Bobby Bonnilla, Fernando Vargas,

Reggie Theus and many other elite athletes. Some of my newer clients in-

clude David and Tamela Mann, Kim Burrell and Brely Evans. I recently

worked with the soap opera Days Of Our Lives as the lead nutrition consult-

ant for their new book Better Living.

10: What is next on the horizon for Robert Ferguson?

I have a lot on my plate right now. I am working with churches in offering a

nutrition and wellness program to their members. I am working on a few

television projects that I can’t speak freely about just yet. I have a new info-

mercial on television. You can learn more about the infomercial and my Di-

et Free Life System at www.TryDietFreeLife.com . And you can get your

church involved with my program by going to www.DFLuniversity.com .

To Join the UTS Fit N Trendy Diet Free Life Challenge log onto click the

Diet Free Life Banner on the Urban Trendsetters Website for your 30 Day

Free Opportunity.

Register for the chance to

win the book Diet-Free for

Life Book by

Robert Ferguson.

Features Include;

Recipes

Exercise Tips & More!

Register TODAY!

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