We had the good fortune of connecting with Scott & Shaté Hayes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Scott & Shaté, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
In our relationship, we’re in constant conversation about generational cycles as well as mental, emotional, and spiritual heath. We’re both writers, and we share our thoughts on these topics on various mediums. The Love Haze Podcast is our way of bringing those conversations to our community in hopes of it helping all of us to choose healing in every area of their lives.

We also felt that there was an opportunity to shed more light on conversations that are typically had behind closed doors – an opportunity to process our process out loud, so to speak. The Love Haze Podcast is that for us. We normalize all the things that come along with trusting the process while journeying to a higher version of yourself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Scott A. Hayes is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 20 years of experience as a mental health practitioner. He’s passionate about educating minority populations on the importance of mental health and integrating systems to include regular psychiatric care as a part of overall health and wellness, which he promotes on the mental health panels he’s regularly invited to join. Some of the challenges of this line of work include learning to be an advocate, not an enabler. Sometimes mental health professionals want a solution more than the client wants it for themselves. So, it’s important that they learn to observe and not absorb everyone else’s issues. One of the most valuable lessons Scott has learned is that mental health professionals need to practice self-care and therapy in their own lives, too.

Shaté L. Hayes is a story strategist, writer, and educator with a passion for telling stories that ignite career advancement and elevate voices of marginalized populations. She leads a high volume content production team at a market-leading EdTech company and is actively engaged in the community through career panels for artists and college students as well as regular contributions to Dance Media Publications such as Dance Magazine and Pointe Magazine. Shaté believes in the power of career fulfillment and has coached professionals experiencing uncertainty about a career transition or evolving into the next version of themselves. She’s learned that career fulfillment is about honoring your skills, interests, and personal values and finding (or creating) ways for your work to be anchored in those things.

Together, Scott and Shaté are HBCU grads who are passionate about Black culture and empowering their community. They host The Love Haze Podcast where they discuss purpose, wholeness, and rethinking the way we love life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For restaurants, we love great food, ambience, and live music. Some of our favorite spots are: Ms. Icey’s Kitchen, Poor Calvin’s, Stockyard Burgers & Bones, Fellaship, Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint, Studio Cigar Lounge, The Battery, and St. James Live

For more cultural experiences, we love: ZuCot Gallery, MLK Center, and National Center for Civil and Human Rights

For outdoors or sporty experiences, we enjoy: Silver Comet Trail and a Hawks, Braves, or United Game

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We’d like to dedicate our shout out to “Daring Greatly” by Brené Brown. The idea of vulnerability being a courageous act was a game changer for us both. When trying to make the decision to start our podcast, we struggled with fear of judgment, imposter syndrome, and a number of other fear-based sentiments. As we inched our way towards the start line of The Love Haze, we ran across “Daring Greatly,” and it inspired and empowered us to celebrate our efforts in the arena instead of focusing on the spectators around it.

Website: https://anchor.fm/thelovehaze

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thelovehaze

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelovehaze

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5lo3CWjNE0pSSP9V_b4HeQ

Image Credits
Professional image: Darryl Olgetree

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