The media game is cutthroat, but Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey are two fierce black queens that have more than held their own in the industry for more than 20 years. Although America crowned Oprah as queen years ago, her BFF of over 30 years, Gayle is finally getting her flowers in the form of an $11 million contract from CBS and she is our forever career goals.
After a nearly two-month-long negotiation process, it was announced Gayle has successfully doubled her salary, earned the coveted title of CBS This Morning anchor, and solidified herself as the most valuable player at CBS. Not only did she secure the bag, but she also taught us what it means to take a risk, demand what you deserve, and expect nothing less.
Last month, sources reported that network staffers worried whether or not they would be able to accommodate the journalist's $5.5 million dollars pay increase, but Gayle's unwillingness to back down ultimately gave her the upper hand. Oprah recently revealed in an interview that she had her girl's back the whole way, and even gave her lawyer a call to make sure her friend got every cent that she's earned.
"I said, 'Get what you want. Get exactly what you want because now's the time. And if you don't get what you want, then make the next right move.' Even without me, she was going to do that. But that was my advice, and I actually called up her lawyer, Allen Grubman, and I said, 'Allen, she should get what she wants.' And Allen goes, 'What the F do you think I'm doing here? I said the same thing to her!'"
During the negotiations with the network, Gayle was especially tight-lipped and reminded us all that real g's move in silence, especially when it comes to money matters. At Variety's Power of Women luncheon, the journalist explained:
"I never ever discuss contracts in the media. I think the best place to discuss a contract is with CBS."
The 64-year-old mother of two may have recently garnered an influx of media attention after debuting her viral interview with R. Kelly and securing a multimillion-dollar check, but trust and believe, she's not new to this; Auntie Gayle is true to this. Daughter of an electric engineer and homemaker, Gayle King launched her career as a production assistant at a local TV station in Maryland, where she met Oprah, who at the time, was an anchor. Although Gayle majored in sociology and psychology during her time at the University of Maryland, she soon discovered her affinity for media production. She explained in an interview with USA Today:
"I majored in psychology, so I never really intended to be in television. I've always liked (and still do) listening to other people's problems and giving them unsolicited advice, and so I thought I would be good in psychology – that I'd have a practice where I would listen to problems all day long. I was going to do that or law school."
After letting go of dreams to one day become a doctor or a lawyer, Gayle made a decision that would change the trajectory of her life. She soon found herself knee-deep in a career that she was wildly intrigued by, but unfortunately knew nothing about.
"But I got an entry-level position at a TV station when I was in college, and then I became hooked. You'll talk to 10 different people and get 10 different stories of how we started in this business, but for me, it was really by accident. It wasn't something that I intended to do."
Despite her spontaneous change in profession, Gayle decided to pursue this accidental career all the way to the top. Gayle went on to become an Emmy-award winning newscaster and even acted as Editor-At-Large of O Magazine when it launched. Last year, Gayle was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame and she has been considered by TIME as one of the most influential people of 2019, but it all started with her taking a risk that helped her attain the life she truly deserved.
Gayle says you can keep this same energy by pursuing your own purpose, even if that means doing something that scares you.
"I think it's OK to take a risk. Don't take a foolish risk, but I think it's good in life to take a risk. I also believe that I don't care who you are, how big you are, everybody always has something to learn."
Take it from Ms. King, you don't have to be perfect at your passion. You just have to have enough courage to get better. She continued:
"Everybody can always get better. So, I'm never under any illusion that, despite the success that I've had, that there's never another rung I can climb on the ladder. I don't know what that is, but I think that there's always a way to get better and do better."
Congrats on securing your bag, Queen King! Let me hold a dollar…
Featured image by Dominik Bindl/WireImage
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Again, the answer never changes because, if there is one thing that Shellie Reneé Warren is gonna get, it’s 6-8 (sometimes nine) hours of sleep. However, since my chronotype (check out “Ever Wonder What Personality Traits Make Someone A 'Morning Person'?”) means that I like/prefer to write in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes I will sleep for the night for five hours and take a nap in the day. And y’all, that is just fine with me because I am well aware of the fact that napping does everything from give me more energy, heighten my alertness and even make me more creative to decrease stress levels, strengthen immunity, and reduce my chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
My problem is I will oftentimes go “overboard” with my daytime zzz’s. What I mean by that is, in order to get the most out of a nap, they say thatyou shouldn’t sleep for longer than 25 minutes or so; otherwise, you could wake up feeling sluggish (I don’t but…). Also, it can make resting, soundly, at night a bit of a struggle.
So, what are you saying, Shellie? We should get quickies in? Yeah. And it’s funny that the word “quickie” would come up because just like a sex quickie can do wonders for you (and it can — check out “12 Super Solid Reasons To Have A Quickie Every Single Day”), it’s a full-circle moment when I say that something that can improve the quality of your sex life is to have a power nap (a nap that lasts between 10-30 minutes).
Wanna know how the two things correlate? Honestly, it’s no secret that sleep and sex work together to optimize both (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”). Today, though, we’re going to tap into how a nap, specifically, can have you partaking in some of the best sex that you’ve experienced in a minute. I’ll explain.
Naps Reduce Stress
GiphyIf you’re feeling super stressed out right now, you are not alone. There is plenty of data out here that says that most of us are stressed for at least a couple of reasons at a time — and that can impact your sexual health on a few levels. For one thing, it can bring about feelings of depression and/or anxiety. Stress can also throw your hormone levels off (including your cycle) which can weaken your libido. Stress can make you want to put distance between you and your partner (yes, literally).
Stress can also make it challenging to get aroused or to have an orgasm. And just what can help to decrease stress? Taking a nap. Since sleep has a way of helping you to “get off of the clock” and relax a bit, that can lower your stress levels and “reset” your body so that you are calmer — and that, in turn, can do wonders for your sex drive and ultimately your sex life.
Naps Improve Your Mood
GiphyThere is one person in my life, and fairly 80 percent of the time, she’s in a super good mood. Oh, but let that girl go without sleep, and…who is this woman? LOL. There’s research behind why this happens. When a person is sleep-deprived, it messes with their brain chemicals, and that can amplify emotions like anger, restlessness and sadness. In fact, one study revealed that people who had their sleep disrupted throughout the night, they ended up having their positive outlook on life reduced by about 30 percent.
And geeze, who wants to have sex when they’re not feeling very good? Anyway, since serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate your moods, your sleep patterns, and your libido and sleep is what helps to keep it in balance — by taking a nap, not only can it help you to feel better, it can also increase your desire for sex (it can also build up your endurance which is also…sexually beneficial).
Naps Increase Your Focus and Concentration
GiphySomething that some of my clients bring up is how, when it comes to having sex, sometimes the flesh is willing while the spirit is weak because, although the desire for intimacy is there, so much is going on that they aren’t able to get still enough to focus on experiencing copulation with their partner. This also tracks because, when you don’t have enough rest, your brain finds itself not working in harmony and that can make it hard to do everything from approaching life with a sense of flexibility to making necessary decisions.
Certain data also reveal that a lack of rest can cause you to have a really poor attention span and not process things in context (the more you know). So, if you really want to get some yet it’s hard for you to focus long enough to make it happen, ask your bae to lie down with you and take a nap. Between the sleep and the snuggling (check out “Fall's Coming: 8 Wonderful Health Benefits Of Cuddling”) — you may wake up with your mind and body totally on the same page. #wink
Naps Can Make You Feel Better About Your Body
GiphyEven if, overall, you feel really good about your body, I think that we all have moments when we feel less attractive than others — and who wants to have sex when they don’t really feel…very sexy? Well, something else that sleep, in general, can do is increase your confidence in your body.
For one thing, if you want to lose a few pounds, sleep can actually make that happen by helping your body metabolize the glucose (sugar) that’s in it so that you can better manage your appetite. Other studies go on to share that since sleep deprivation can impact one’s mental health and emotional stability in a negative way, of course, getting enough rest would increase body positivity.
Shoot, science even goes so far as to say that insomnia can cause people to have an elevated level of dissatisfaction when it comes to their body image. Don’t take their word for it, though. Look in the mirror before a nap. Then look in a mirror after waking up from me. Do you feel better? I’d be surprised if you don’t.
Makes Your Brain Bigger…Which Could Make Your Orgasms Better
GiphyI saved the best for last by design. Now if you’re wondering how in the world a nap can improve (and possibly increase) your orgasms — oh, there is a method to the madness…trust. For starters, the saying that your biggest sex organ is your brain? That isn’t a myth. Long story less long, the brain is what houses your central nervous system and that is what controls how men and women sexually function (yes, literally).
And since the brain also releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin during sex and brain activity significantly increases in women during sexual activity (especially right before she orgasms) — well, would it trip you out to know that when you take a nap, your brain actually expands? A bigger brain (that’s healthy) can potentially intensify your sexual experiences (and your climaxes) — and who doesn’t want that to go down?
____
Like I said earlier, I never have to be convinced to get a nap in. However, if your sex life has been a bit stagnant lately, you’ve been feeling a little sluggish and you’re not sure what to do — I’m hoping that a nap can get you right.
There’s enough science to prove that it can. All you need to do is give it a shot.
Now where’s your pillow and sleep mask, chile?
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