-[upbeat music playing] -[woman vocalizing]
Would you like to know who we are going to help this week?
-[Fab Five] Yeah! -Well, her name is Dr. Jereka Thomas.
-We got a doctor? -[Jonathan] Doctor!
She's a doctor, honey!
Come on in, the water's fine.
"She's the cofounder of a medical training school
called Central Texas Allied Health Institute,
which operates a COVID testing and vaccine clinic in East Austin."
-Wow, we have a frontline worker. -Nice.
Know what I'm sayin'?
-That title is a mouthful, honey. -[Karamo] Isn't it?
-She's protecting the babies, honey. -[Jonathan] We love her.
Vaccinating somebody, he's like, bam! "Oh! Good God!"
This past year has been a whirlwind.
We opened the clinic. We opened the school.
We started working, and it's just been going, going, going, going, going.
At our school, we take a particular focus on students of color
and students who are below the federal minimum poverty level.
I wanted it to be affordable.
I didn't feel like you need to get out of school
with the level of debt that they would make in their first year of working.
They'll never get out of poverty into the middle class.
My favorite thing about what I do is that I'm graduating folks out
that were in the same circumstances that I was in when I was growing up.
"Jereka, seeing the devastating effect that COVID-19 had
on the Black and Latinx communities,
she fought to open up the testing clinic
and was able to secure enough grants
to open the clinic, like, in the midst of the pandemic."
[Jereka] I've always been an overachiever.
I have this grind mentality.
Be on your grind. [laughs]
[Karamo] "Dr. Jereka not only has this amazing school and clinic,
but she's also been married for ten years."
Cute.
"She was nominated by Ben and her business partner Todd Hamilton."
Jereka's a very passionate person.
She's been very influential for me, just inspiring me to do more with my life.
[man] Jereka's tenacity is what I admire the most about her.
When she wants something, she will get it.
We found another fed grant. I found it in time.
[Todd] Oh, oh, good.
[cell phone vibrates]
Crap.
Her phone is ringing just about every minute of the day.
Okay.
I try to squeeze in some one-on-one time, but…
Sounds good. Okay. Uh-huh.
[sighs]
It's hard, you know?
[Jereka] Hi, baby.
Hey.
[Karamo] "With her busy work schedule,
Jereka seldom has time to cook meals for her family at home
and often stops at fast food drive-throughs."
I'm a medical professional. I will 100% eat healthy.
But it has to taste good.
I'm a Southern woman.
I can cook. I can throw down in the kitchen.
I've just been sacrificing the meal time
as quality time to spend with my son.
What did you do today? Did you have a good day with Miss Vaughn?
I didn't fight. I didn't scream, and I didn't talk back.
[Jereka] Good.
Carter is a mixture of hurricane, lovability,
stress, and everything all rolled into one,
and he's the best hurricane I've ever had.
-[telephone rings] -[Carter babbling]
Hello.
Yes, I'll be able to do it.
[Ben] She cares very much about everybody else,
but the problem is that she puts 110% of herself in,
and she doesn't really take care of herself.
Definitely would love to see Jereka realize it's not all on her.
Rely on some of the people that you trained to help carry us home.
I really feel like that I'm meant for this moment,
but am I pushing my family too far? Am I dreaming too big?
"Despite all her success,
Jereka thinks she needs to do more at the expense of herself
and lives in constant fear that she will fail and let down people in need."
[all] Aww.
Let's help Jereka get a dose of her own medicine.
[all] Yeah!
[theme music playing]
♪ Better All things just keep getting better ♪
[rock music playing]
♪ Hold on before she breaks your heart Hold on… ♪
-[Antoni] Hey! -[Bobby] We're here.
Yes, free COVID testing, you better work. You better come through.
[Tan] Ready?
-[laughs] -[Antoni] Let's go!
[Tan] After you.
-Oh, my God. Oh, wow! -Hey, what's going on, guys?
-I told you they'll be here. -[laughing]
We would love for you to introduce us to Dr. Jereka.
-Definitely, let's you guys follow me. -Thank you.
-That artery goes down there… -Check it out, guys!
Oh, my God!
-Look, I told you they'd be here! -[laughing]
[Karamo] How you doing, Dr. Jereka?
-Good to meet you. -We're so happy to see you!
[Bobby] Oh, my God.
-You are beautiful. -[Jonathan] You're gorgeous!
-We're fully vaccinated. -[Jereka] Yes, yes.
-Nice to meet you. -[Jereka] Nice to meet you.
Have you always done service-based work?
When I was 16, my father had lung cancer.
-[Bobby] Mm-hmm. -[Jereka] I saw a lot of the inequities.
I could count on one hand
how many people that looked like me are working in the hospital system.
So, it's been the work that I wanted to do my whole life.
It's very important to me
that folks of color see people of color taking care of them.
-Yeah. -[Jonathan] Yes.
-[Bobby] Where are we? What's this room? -The break room.
[Karamo] We thought this was the office.
-[Jereka] No. -[Jonathan] I feel relaxed in here.
-I mean, I'm feeling very… -[Tan] Are you?
-Yes. -The break room at the clinic, kinda sad.
There's no creature comforts.
There's nothing in this break room that's giving anyone a break.
Is this the backyard?
[Jereka] Yeah, we just don't utilize it, that's all.
We actually got this space together in two weeks.
Props to you.
That's why the room looks the way it looks.
Hey, it's still great.
Well, because we spent a lot of the money on the patients and the testing,
keeping the employees safe and that type of thing.
You are here to help the community.
-Yeah. -Yeah, so it makes sense.
[Jereka] Yeah. All right, let's go.
Yes, yes, yes!
-[Jereka] Bye, guys! -[Jonathan] Thank you.
-This one? -Yeah, you get in the front seat.
[Antoni] Let's go.
[Bobby] Get in!
[Jereka] This is my house.
Oh, my gosh. Your cactus had the winter storm happen to it.
-But it's come back against all odds. -[Jereka] It's… it's trying.
[Jonathan] She's a survivor, honey. That's her Destiny's Child hit album.
-[Jereka] Hi, baby. -Hello. Hi.
-[Ben shouts] -[laughing]
Hi, Ben. Great to meet you.
-[Jereka] Hi, baby. -[Tan] Hi, sweetheart.
-Nice to meet you. -Your home's beautiful.
-[Tan] Carter, you've got beautiful hair. -[laughing]
[Jonathan] I want Carter to be impressed with me. Carter!
-[Bobby] Yeah? -[Jonathan] No!
-[Bobby] Good job, Johnny. -Was it pretty?
Try again, Carter.
[all] Yeah!
I get it, okay? She is not an elite athlete, honey.
-[shouts] Okay, we better go find stuff. -[laughing]
Whoo!
Oh! Oh!
Oh, wow.
This has got some nice organization to it.
[Tan] This is concerning.
Oh, hard floors on my knees, I'm so old.
How does one wear a hat like this?
Beautifully! Look at you.
-You can't actually see what-- -Three sisters.
-Oh, yay! -[laughing]
What…
Girl, meat in a bag.
[Bobby] Oh, she a sausage. Ooh!
[sighs] Jereka has a vibe that she likes bold.
She likes to make a statement.
Note to self, kids,
if you see diamantés on a top,
put it down and walk away.
However, the clothes in her closet are a bit… wah-wah!
Now…
[Jereka groans]
[Tan] No, no, don't you be afraid.
This is your space, not mine. [chuckles]
-I should be afraid. -Mm-hmm.
[Tan] What is going on?
Uh, this on the floor was a project
that I've been trying to get clothes out that I can't wear anymore.
-[Tan] Okay. -[Jereka] And I didn't finish.
I would imagine maybe, like, your mom wearing something like this, not you.
-[Jereka] So, my mom gave me that shirt. -That makes sense.
[laughs] Okay, good. You know, there are some that give me hope.
There are some things here that I'm like,
"Okay, that's a step in the right direction,"
but even still, how do you feel about your clothes?
Um, I buy most of my clothes online.
-Yeah. -I don't shop in the store.
-Tell me why. -'Cause I'm a little…
I'm a little up here.
[Tan] Your boobs are tiny. I barely noticed you have any.
-Oh, that's just fantastic. -[laughing]
-You're the only one on the planet. -What… What size are they?
Hmm. Big.
-They size big. How about that, okay? -[laughs] Okay.
[Jereka] And it's very hard for me to find clothes that I like,
because most of the clothes that I see in stores for women who are large-chested,
they look like old, frumpy, old lady clothes.
[Tan] I know they do. I know they do. What makes you feel the sexiest?
[Jereka] I don't know if I still even have it,
'cause it was from when we were dating, a long time ago.
Wait, haven't you been together, like, 15, 20 years?
-I've kept this since we were together. -Wow! Wow!
[Karamo] Why did you nominate your wife?
She works so hard that I don't think she understands
just how much she's actually done and been successful at.
It makes me sad that she can't realize that.
Yeah, at the end of this week, what would you want to see for your wife?
I wanna see her get better tools to help manage her stress
and be better to herself.
I think that's what I really hope she gets out of all of this.
-Everything you asked, I think we can do. -Mm-hmm.
-[laughs] I actually think we could do. -That's good. I'm happy about that.
[T. rex growls]
[Carter] T. rex.
-[Antoni] T. rex. -[Jonathan] Yay!
[Tan laughs]
Are you taking her away whilst I sort this out?
-Yeah, we're gonna actually, well… -So far away.
-[Tan] A drink or snacks for the journey? -[Jonathan] Wanna give me some water?
Yeah! I'll get you some snacks for your journey over here.
And then we're gonna take this journey into here.
-All the way across the threshold. -Across the threshold.
This is where the magic happens. What are you into?
What do you like to do in the morning?
I'm just… I'm not a makeup girl.
[chuckles] But I have spent a lot of time keeping my hair covered.
Because when I was 24, I started losing my hair.
-Okay. -So, I wear these all the time.
[sighs] But I'm getting a little older, and it's hot as hell in Texas.
Really, this summer's no joke.
-I'm really getting tired of it. [laughs] -Yep.
How do you feel about me seeing your natural hair?
We feel good about it, queen.
-Listen… -Can I approach you? Can I touch?
-Yeah, yeah. Uh-huh. [laughs] -Okay, it's not bad at all.
You have length, queen.
[Jereka] The front is really thin.
-But not so much at all! -[laughing]
You've got beautiful head of hair.
Well, I haven't had it done since before I had Carter, so…
There's different ways that we lose hair.
Sometimes it's genetic, but in other times,
wearing a wig, especially on a daily basis,
can be traction, or, like, rubbing a lot.
The job that I have,
I just don't really feel comfortable wearing my natural hair. Like…
-This is-- I'm sorry, can I touch you? -Yeah. Oh, please.
-Society likes this. They don't like this. -Yeah, yeah.
That's a thing in Black culture and Black women.
Because when I was growing up,
every woman in my family either wore a wig or a weave to cover it all up.
I've really been trying to de-shed some of this…
-Eurocentric? Yes. -…insecurity-- Yes.
There are so many things Black women face that I will never, ever understand.
But I want to really help her feel beautiful.
Jereka is showing up for her community on an everyday basis.
She deserves to be confident.
-Okay, now you can hug me. Love you. -Thank you. [laughs]
Do we wanna…
-I'm gonna put it back on. -Okay.
Shade.
[Antoni] First, what do you do with such adorably small blood oranges?
[laughing] I slice 'em up and drink 'em in my beer.
I was thinking, like, do you squeeze these into a vinaigrette?
-No, you put 'em in your beer. -In my beer.
-You bust your ass doing God's work. -Friday nights, yes.
You are allowed to have your beer with fresh blood orange juice.
-I'm certainly not here to judge. -Thank you.
So, what's, like, a middle of the week dinner look like?
-We usually eat out during the week. -You usually eat out.
-So fast food? -Whatever.
-Yeah. -Gotcha. Okay.
My problem with being healthier is I just don't have time to cook,
but also, I don't want it to taste bad. [laughs]
Like, my whole life growing up is huge Louisiana influence.
If it don't have a heat on it, I don't eat it.
Let's see, where is it? The Slap Ya Mama.
[Antoni] Yep.
And that's from Ville Platte, Louisiana.
[Antoni] Classic. Oh, I'm familiar.
-[Jereka] Mr. Creole seasoning. -[Antoni] Mr. Creole.
[Jereka] I want some flavor in my food.
There will be no flavorless food this week.
Absolutely not. I won't eat it. [laughing]
I don't doubt that you won't.
-I see herbs. This is the herb one? -[Jereka] That's the herb one.
-[Bobby] That's the vegetable-- -[Jereka] Squash and cucumbers.
Squash, cucumbers. Are these on life support?
[Jereka] Well, yes, honestly.
-Because I can't keep it alive. -Okay.
And I've been so frustrated with how I constantly have to water them,
but I just don't have time.
[Bobby] So, what got you into gardening?
My grandmother lives… uh, lived on a farm.
I think it comes from her, 'cause she taught me a lot of that.
-We had a peach tree in my backyard. -Okay.
And in the summertime, my grandma would make my brother and I harvest them all.
And then we'd walk through the neighborhood and pass out peaches.
Miss Peaches.
We would yell about, "How come you givin' all the peaches away?"
And we're like, she said, "You have to give more than you receive."
'Cause this top is black.
Yeah, but you know why there are holes on this?
So when you pour the spice out,
so a little bit can come out and so not all of it falls out.
Ooh!
[Bobby] Karamo.
Hey!
Y'all have fun.
-I'm gonna go conceptualize. -Okay.
-[Karamo] You know these my people. -I mean, they my people too.
-They our people. -Okay.
-They our people, I ain't gonna lie. -All right, all right.
-Listen, this couple right here. -[laughs]
-Hustle mentality at its finest, huh? -Yes.
And even when they were in office, they still took time for family.
-To do things. -I'm like the former First Lady.
I'm just sayin'. I'm just sayin'.
I love that you have this because this does help me even more
to understand, like, who you are and what's important to you.
You're helping the world, and I'm so thankful as a Black man,
but what has created this person who is always,
"I gotta keep going. I gotta keep going. I gotta keep doing. I gotta keep doing"?
I think that hustle mentality came from my dad.
So, like, my mom was the person that kept the house going,
but my dad was the hustle mentality
and in the community and doing the service work and that type of thing.
-Is this your dad over here? -Yes.
This is the only photo that I have of my dad left.
[Karamo] Aww.
I've been holding onto it for dear life, 'cause that's all I have left of him.
[Karamo] Aww.
[Jereka] So, I keep all these reminders around me.
I am 100% knowing of who I am as an educated Black woman in this world,
and the things that I want to do with the gifts that I have been given.
Yeah, they are gifts.
Absolutely.
Less than 1% of the Black women in the United States have a doctorate degree.
I feel a privilege to have it in front of my name.
-That's why I don't want to fail at this. -Yeah.
Yeah, you're worried about failing and don't wanna fail,
but I don't even know if you have a clear measure of success.
-I think you do know the big. -Yeah.
-But the small measure of success. -Mm-hmm.
That's where I think you need a little help on.
-I got you. Trust and believe, okay? -Okay, okay.
-All right. All right. -[Karamo] You can trust me.
And Barack Obama.
-Hey! -[Jereka] Hi, y'all.
-Look at this beauty. -Hi.
This week is about you.
You're gonna get some lessons that you can use
so that you can take a little weight off.
-Is this what you want? -Yeah, yeah, I think she needs that.
All right, doctor, like, well, time to have you start relaxing, stat.
-[Jonathan] Yes! -[laughs]
[pop music playing]
Dr. Jereka is clearly not an "idle hands" type of person,
so if she is gonna spend time working at home, it needs to be serene.
And she wouldn't be okay this week
with me just doing something for her and her family.
She'd want me to also do something for the clinic and her employees
and the students and the people that she loves so much.
[Jonathan] Jereka has been taught that she needs
to look a certain way to be taken seriously,
and she really doesn't wanna have to subscribe
to these Eurocentric ideals of beauty.
She wants to celebrate her natural hair, and I love that.
My goal is to make sure that she understands that her body is beautiful
and find options for her wardrobe that make life easier for her,
that she feels incredible in.
I wanna show Jereka that she can make something that honors her Southern roots
without having to spend the whole day in the kitchen.
I don't think she realizes how much she's valued
and all the successes she's had.
Hey, Todd, it's Karamo.
I need your help to do something very special for Jereka.
But even when there's a lot of work to be done,
you have to slow down and look at things that you have accomplished.
[rhythmic guitar music playing]
[Tan] Welcome to our humble abode.
The reason I wanted to bring Jereka here is because
there aren't that many stores that cater to women
who are either midsize or plus size.
I did not wanna compromise just because she's not a size zero.
You had said there are a couple of things that restrict how you dress.
-These things. -These two things right here.
-These very large two things. -[laughing]
And so we got the product from a place called ELOQUII,
that specializes in larger sizes,
but the thing I love about it is that it's just as stylish
as any other brand that you might find.
-I would like you to try this on first. -Yes.
Jereka has a gorgeous figure,
but she has not felt sexy. She has not felt desirable.
I want to bring that sexiness back into her life.
I actually wanna give you a gold heel, please.
Oh, boy, that's the one I looked at when I walked in.
So, I want her to try on things that she ordinarily wouldn't wear.
-Jereka. -[Jereka] Yes.
-I'm gonna open the door. Is that okay? -Yes.
Ooh!
-[laughing] -Oh!
It's gorgeous.
Take a look at yourself in the mirror.
[Jereka] I definitely like the color.
The proportions?
-Yes, they look much better. -[both laughing]
-Uh-huh. -They look and they feel much better.
And you can see your waist.
Yes, it's nice to see it.
[laughs] I haven't seen it in a long time.
Does it feel like you're seeing the old version of you again?
Yes, a little heavier, but it is the old me.
I don't mind a few extra pounds if they're this good.
-I can make it look good. -[both laughing]
Here's the thing.
Did this take you any longer to put on than anything else you've ever put on?
-No. -So then, could we start doing this?
-Yeah. -Great!
I have noticed that I haven't heard your phone.
-Can you grab your phone for me? -Um…
I would like you to call work and put them on speaker, please.
-And I wanna ask how today is. -Okay.
I wanna know if they can do it without you.
I-- Hey, listen,
I'm just gonna call Susie. She's my assistant.
-[Tan] Oh, great. -[Susie] Hello.
Hi. This is Tan France.
Hi.
How is the clinic today? Did the ceiling cave in?
-[laughing] -It has not at this point, no.
Are you doing okay without Jereka for a few hours?
Yeah, we miss her, but we're doing just fine.
[Tan] Thank you so much, Susie, I appreciate all your hard work.
-And… -Yeah?
if you need anything, don't call Jereka.
-[laughing] -Will do. I get it.
[Tan] All right, bye.
She has built an incredible community,
but the only way this is scalable
is by making sure that we are lifting other people up
to support us and be able to stand in for us when we can't be there ourselves.
Ah, you love your shoe.
[Jereka] I do.
We've got a slit in our skirt that we like.
You've got the gams.
-Yes. -You may as well show 'em off.
So, I wanted to offer you a transitional moment,
where it's not too immodest for work,
but in the evening when you're with your girls, you can take your jacket off,
and you've got something a little more comfortable.
-Thank you. -Mm-hmm.
-The tee has a really fun sleeve. -Uh-huh.
What do you think?
I like the look. I do like the look.
Are you feeling sexy?
-Uh-huh, yeah. -Okay, good. So I'm gonna show you.
When you drop one hip,
you go from, "Hey, honey, I'm home…" "Hey, honey, I'm home."
[laughing]
[Tan] It's so simple, it's just that one little move.
-[Antoni] Come on, Neon. -[Tan] And you're showing off your curves.
There we go.
I think I can hear Antoni out there,
but I want him to see how good you look.
So, do you wanna put this back on?
-No, I want this. I like this. -[Tan] You wanna show-- Oh, great!
Okay, come with me, then.
Hello.
-Love! -[Tan laughs] Yeah!
[Antoni] How do you feel in this? I love the heel.
Doctor, dare I say you look sexy?
-Is that okay? -My goodness. My goodness.
-[Tan laughs] -This is a different side of you.
-Yes. -[Antoni] I love it.
Here's the thing though.
You're about to hang out with Antoni in the kitchen. Will you go get changed?
-Yes. -Come whenever you're ready.
-[Jereka] Absolutely. Okay. -Sound good?
[Tan] Thank you. What are you making?
[Antoni] We're gonna kind of do, like, a healthified version
of something that she likes with just loads of spices.
-Uh-huh. -She deserves to take care of herself.
Small little tweaks over time can make a big difference in somebody's life.
Welcome to our kitchen.
Oh, boy. Look at all of this goodness.
[laughs] Right? I will say, it is hard finding this stuff in Austin.
I had to go back to your house. This is literally yours.
-[Jereka] From my house? -That's yours.
[both laughing]
-So I'm gonna ask you to wash your hands. -Okay.
-Then we're gonna get started. -That's right. All right.
When's the last time you cooked?
Those collard greens and ham hocks that you saw in the refrigerator?
-That's my work. -Okay, so you've been doing it.
I keep telling you, I'm a Southern woman and I know how to cook.
-[laughing] -I know you are, but you're also busy AF.
I really heard you when you were telling me about, like, the actual amount of time
that you have during the week to make something.
A lot of Southern cooking, like Polish cooking, takes a long time.
It takes a long time, yes.
You gotta sit there and wait for things to develop and reduce.
[Jereka] Right.
[Antoni] This is literally 15 to 20 minutes.
-And you have a meal for your family. -This looks so good.
-Does this stuff make you happy? -It does. Yes.
We're basically just gonna do a nice simple sauté
with all your favorite ingredients,
but in, like, a slightly more healthified version.
-Okay, good. -Okay, we have smoked sausage.
[Jereka] Mm-hmm.
You're gonna cut those into nice little, thin slices.
This is, like, a one-pot situation.
Ooh, that's good. I don't have to wash a bunch of dishes.
I don't like doing that either.
-It keeps things simple. -Yep.
I'm just gonna put a little bit of butter and olive oil.
The reason I put butter--
Sorry, if I'm saying things that you already know, I apologize.
It's okay.
The first rule of being a teacher is also being a learner.
Yes!
The thing with Jereka is this is somebody who knows how to cook.
She knows good food. She knows what she likes.
So, I wanna use ingredients that she's already very familiar with.
It's just showing her how to use them in a different way.
I'm not the best at chopping peppers, I will tell you that.
-Can I show you how I do it? -Yes, please.
I'm excited at the possibility of teaching you something
'cause you're already a pro.
So what I like to do is actually lay it flat like this,
kind of like removing skin off of an orange, for example.
-[Jereka] Oh! -And that way, all of the seeds…
The seeds stay intact, and they're not everywhere.
Well, hopefully. Exactly.
-Did you used to cook with your parents? -My grandma, yes.
What was your favorite thing that your grandma made for you?
She would make smothered oxtails with green beans,
and she called them I'sh potatoes.
-I'sh potatoes? -Irish potatoes.
-Oh, Irish potatoes. -She called them I'sh potatoes.
She would get, um, fresh green beans, and we would come back and snap them.
-Carter's old enough to do that. -[laughs]
-He can. He can, yes. -Right?
It's important, I think, for him to have those memories that you had.
-[Jereka] I would very much like that. -Is that something that's realistic?
If I can do things like this, yes, absolutely.
Obviously, it's a little more work than going through a drive-through
to get food, but at the same time, like, you can come home
and have this, like, awesome tradition with Carter
of just kind of, like, throwing things into a pan.
I need to take the time to do as much work on this
as I do on the other aspects of my life.
[Antoni] Yeah.
It's challenging to try to tell somebody who's doing such important work
that they need a bit of time to themselves,
but to know that she wants to create little food memories with her son
and to have him try new things, that stuff can't be replaced by anything.
The shrimp are nice and at room temperature,
so I actually like to season these beforehand.
-So, I'm gonna leave it to you. -Okay.
-[laughing] -I wanna see how much you put in.
So you… you show me.
-Okay, not too heavy-handed. -Okay.
[Antoni] And then we have cayenne.
Perfect.
We're gonna be putting those in, in a nice little nest.
So you can just flip 'em to the other side.
Oh, beautiful.
So, now you're gonna take the sausage and just plop it right back in there.
-[Jereka] Okay. -And the last addition, I add lemon.
And now you just kind of wanna scrape
to get all those crispy bits from the pan juices.
I am gonna salt it lightly.
-And then, this is ready. -It's good.
-It looks really good. -Does it look good? I'm gonna get a bite.
Mmm! That's really good.
[laughs]
-I consider this healthy eating. -Mm-hmm.
But this is better than most, like, chain fast food.
I'm starting to think about what really matters to me.
And I gotta say, I'm a pretty good cook.
-You are. You're a very good cook. -[laughing]
[Antoni] You are.
[pop music playing]
-[Bobby] Ready to get plants? Yeah? -[Carter] Yeah.
-Yeah? I love your enthusiasm. -[Jereka] Mm-hmm.
-[Bobby] It's so cute. -[laughing]
[Bobby] You know, Jereka's garden could use a little love.
So, I'm bringing Jereka and Carter to Garden Seventeen today
because I want to teach her a few little things
that'll help make gardening easy for her,
and make it more of a zen thing instead of a work thing.
Different plants bring different things.
-Like, some plants attract hummingbirds. -[Jereka] Mm-hmm.
Some plants attract butterflies.
When you put flowers in your vegetable gardens,
it actually helps with pollination,
because obviously the flowers attract the bees.
-The bees pollinate the flowers more. -Right, right.
[grunts] My man! Do you like gardening with Mama?
-[Carter] Yeah. -I bet Mama likes gardening with you too.
-[Carter] Yeah. -Yeah?
You mentioned yesterday the thing you did most with your grandma was the peach tree.
Is there something that you had in mind that we could plant now,
that could be something that we could teach little man here?
-Yeah. -The way-- Yeah.
-[laughing] -[Bobby] Yeah?
Well, probably the tomatoes, but tomatoes are easy.
Like, they come up everywhere, so…
But it's okay to do some things that are easy.
-You're like the-- -[laughing]
-I do like a challenge. -[Bobby] Yes!
-[Jereka laughs] I love a challenge. -Not everything has to be a challenge.
-Tomatoes are easy. -[Jereka] Yes.
-Give yourself a break sometime. -[laughs]
Well, I'm trying to learn something new, so I'm trying to think of something.
[laughing]
[Bobby] So, with water in Texas,
obviously it's so hot here that when you do a watering system that's above ground,
like the IV bags or even sprinklers, the water evaporates more.
[Jereka] Right.
So if you do soaking hoses, you can actually put these hoses under the ground,
and then you turn it on once a day, or we can set up a timer on it.
-And it slowly waters the plants. -Yeah.
If you get busy and forget to do it for a few days,
you don't come back to dead plants.
Because right now, your garden looks like an operating room.
[Jereka] It does.
-Which is cool for Halloween. -[Jereka] Yeah.
-[laughing] -But maybe not on a daily basis.
Sometimes you might not realize that
creating a relaxing environment can help you accomplish more.
-You got it? That's all we need, one more. -[Jereka] You got it, baby?
I hope that Dr. Jereka realizes, if you don't take care of you,
you can't keep taking care of everybody else.
You ready? All right, you got the cart? There we go.
[Jereka] And Mama's gonna stand back and let somebody else do something.
-[Bobby] Good job, she's learning. -[Jereka] How about that?
[laughing]
[Karamo] Let me tell you something. You stepped up in your own community,
not only create a school, but then create a clinic and say,
"Black and Latinx people, I see you. I know you need me, and I'm here for you."
-Mm-hmm. -You need to be celebrated.
And you need to be celebrating yourself.
Oh… [scoffs]
I celebrate myself when I get into bed at night and finally go to sleep.
-That's when I celebrate myself. -[laughing]
Let me just let you know, if there was--
-Not enough. -If somebody invited me to a party
and we was all asleep, that ain't a celebration, okay?
Today I'm taking Jereka back to her own school,
because I think for her to really understand the impact she's had,
you gotta go back to day one.
So you're probably like, "Why'd I bring you to your job?"
-Right. Right. -[laughs] To the place you established.
This is my way of you having an opportunity
to really understand what a light you're giving off in this world.
And so I want to bring you to my own little school.
-Karamo class. [laughs] -Okay? This Karamo class.
-And give you a new lesson. -Okay.
I want you to take this in.
Hello, Dr. J, we just wanna say thank you for allowing us to continue our education
and entering the medical field.
Working with you has been an embraceful experience.
[laughing]
Hi, Dr. Jereka, it's Andy Brown, the Travis County judge.
You're the hero that our community needed.
She's compassionate. She has a huge heart. She's a great mentor.
[Susie] It's one thing to have your boss be a boss,
but it's another thing to have your boss
be someone that you can genuinely
just relish in being a part of their lives.
Thank you. Thank you!
Your nephew told me, "Mom, I wanna go into the nursing field like Auntie."
"I wanna change people's lives like Auntie."
When I think about our friendship, I think about sitting on the side of the road
after being hit by a drunk driver,
and of course I had called you,
and I look up, and there you are.
So that I wouldn't be there by myself. And that's just who you are.
Take a step back and look at everything you've accomplished,
because it's incredible.
-I was one of your first students. -[Jereka shouts] Oh, Marcella!
[Marcella] It's been nine years since we've seen each other.
You were definitely hard on me.
Um, there was times I wanted to quit. You wouldn't let me.
You had faith in me when I didn't think I had faith in my own self.
Oh, Marcella.
[Marcella] You definitely gave me all the confidence I needed in myself.
Oh, and one more thing.
Dawn, my oldest daughter, will be graduating high school this year.
She will be going to Incarnate Word for nursing…
Oh!
…because I went into the medical field.
-That's wonderful. Oh. -[indistinct speech on video]
-[sighs] -How does it feel to hear these words?
[sniffs]
Well, first of all, I don't know how you found Marcella.
Marcella was my very first student.
Yeah, I saw.
It's… It's not describable.
She doesn't understand how she impacted me.
She's the reason that I kept going.
Yeah.
She's doing this because of me.
And what are you realizing?
What I set out to do,
the ripple is going a lot further than I thought it would go.
I get it now. I see it.
It is astonishing to me to see how far I have come.
Yeah. You just said your celebration is going to sleep.
You don't deserve to be sleeping through your celebration.
I want you to say to yourself, "I'm gonna celebrate this."
And you're gonna look at all these people you've impacted and realize,
"I am the shit."
-[laughing] -[hip hop music playing]
[chuckles] "I am the shit."
Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.
-Mmm! -Mm! Thank you.
♪ Got the dream, got the drive Got the juicy flair ♪
♪ Got the heart, got the smart Got the business flair ♪
Hi.
Jared, it's looking good, man.
Thank you.
Jereka spends so much time giving back to everybody else,
so I really want to zhuzh up this garden,
but also that break room
and that outdoor area for her staff and her students,
and make it a place where they can really relax while they help others.
[upbeat pop music playing]
[Jonathan] I'm excited to show you. This salon's gorgeous.
Welcome to Damn, Glam! This is going-- Hi, Tiffany.
-It's so nice to meet you, welcome. -We are so excited to be here.
Jereka's ready to get on her natural hair journey.
-Okay, come over here. -Okay.
We are here at this gorgeous salon called Damn, Glam!
It is a Black-owned salon in East Austin.
I wanna show Jereka that there's other folks in her community
who wanna help her celebrate herself.
-Can we take your little baby wig off? -You can.
I'm gonna touch her, and she's fine.
-Go ahead. -Okay, great.
-Okay. Look at her, she's gorgeous. -We already took it off once.
-I'm good now. -We did, but I'm gonna ask you.
So this is how I understand.
When you were 24, you started wearing wigs on the daily
because you started to go gray
and you're like, "I'm just gonna put this wig on."
I started losing my hair too.
[Jonathan] Everyone, as they get a little bit older,
our hair, like, just gets a little bit finer over time,
but that doesn't mean that you don't have, like, a gorgeous, full head of hair.
But I do think your scalp is gonna be, like,
just feeling so much better having the wig off on a daily basis.
Like, some of this looks like it's just, like, rubbing off.
Obviously because your hair's on the shorter side now,
that doesn't mean that it couldn't grow and get longer.
There has been a long history in this country of discriminating against people
for having hair exactly just like Jereka's,
and that is precisely what's caused Jereka to wear the wig that she wears.
I do think that you have enough hair to have options.
Jereka really just needs someone to show her how
to let her natural hair texture sing.
Wow!
All this hair.
I'm so excited I can't stand it.
What you're doing for Austin is just beautiful,
and it's so courageous, and I'm just so happy that Austin has you.
But it shouldn't be an exception.
It should be the norm.
I'm treating people like they're humans, like they should be treated.
Yeah. Yes.
-If I could clap back, I would. -[laughing]
You know what this is kind of making me vibe on?
What if you actually became a literal senator and then you made it the norm?
And, see, I can't-- If I'm in office, I can't do my kind of work.
Uh-uh. That is not--
The campaign slogan could be "Black Excellence For Texas, 2024."
"2024." And Jonathan shoots out of the cake.
-"Jereka for Senate." Don't you see it? -[laughing]
-[laughs] -[Jonathan] Senator but sexy!
Senator but sexy! Senator but sexy!
[Jonathan] ♪ Do your hair color so pretty ♪
It feels nice to take care of yourself.
I feel like I almost can't look 'cause I'm freaking out too hard.
Senator Jereka does not have that much time,
but she does have enough time to just pop to the salon,
get her hair washed, get a quick blow dry,
in and out, 20 minutes and just treat herself.
Oh, my God, I can't. It's too pretty.
[Jereka laughs]
Ladies, I love you so much. I could've never even done this without you.
-Okay, you ready? -[Jereka] Okay.
Okay, in three, two, one…
Wow.
[laughs] Look at my hair, it looks so good.
Like, I wasn't even over-promising.
-I know. -Can you believe how pretty you look?
[laughs] I know. I haven't… I haven't looked like this in a long time.
Wow! I don't think I've ever looked like this.
I just keep staring at my hair. I'm sorry. [laughs]
-Don't ever apologize for that. -Oh, my gosh.
I'm a little overwhelmed right now. [chuckles]
-In a pretty feeling way? -Wow. Yes, yes, yes! [laughs]
I didn't realize how much hair I still had left, and I'm really shocked by it.
[sighs] And it looks so good.
I've just been working so hard, and I haven't been taking care of myself.
And I knew… I knew I wasn't.
But to see it, when I do,
like, now I'm like, okay, I gotta do it.
[laughs] I gotta do it.
Because I look so different.
I feel different.
-Thank you very much. -I love you so much.
Thank you.
[rhythmic pop music playing]
-[Bobby grunts] -[Tan] Oh, it's so heavy.
We're just gonna put it down.
-[Antoni shouts] -[Bobby] Oh, they're here. Oh!
[Karamo] Are you ready? We got on your street.
We might've moved your whole house. You just never know with Bobby.
If you move it, you better move it somewhere good.
-And three, two, one. -[Karamo] Ready?
Oh, my God! [shouts]
-Oh, my God! -[Tan] Yay!
-[laughing] -Oh, my God! [sobs]
[all] Aww!
-[Tan] Isn't it nice? -Oh!
-[Bobby] You love? -[Jereka] Yes!
-[Jonathan] Look at all your gorgeous veg! -[Jereka] I know!
-[laughing] -Irrigation, some watering.
-[Jereka] Oh! -And notice, peach tree, peach tree!
-Peach tree! -[Jereka shouts, laughs]
-Oh! I'm gonna be living out here. -Yay.
[Jereka laughs] This is wonderful.
-Be zen in your new zen garden. -[Jereka] Yes.
♪ Now you can look up ♪
-You gotta be kidding me! -[laughing]
[Jereka] This is just beyond anything I could've even imagined.
[gasps] Oh, my God.
That picture…
That's the last thing I have of him.
[Bobby] He's looking, watching you work.
[Jereka] I can't even…
This is just beyond anything I could have even imagined, y'all.
The pictures.
[Karamo] This wall is for you to constantly be reminded,
"Yes, I have hit success,"
and to know that you are celebrated.
[Jonathan] Welcome!
-Look how stunning you look. -My hair feels so good.
Your hair looks amazing. You could leave it like that.
But I did wanna show you a really cute technique that takes no time.
This is my most favorite stuff ever.
It says "overnight serum," but who cares?
I'm gonna just give you two pumps.
And then start in the back and work your way forward.
Yep, work your way forward.
You are doing so good, queen.
Now, the rule on this is that if you start going one way, keep going that way.
So do you see how these little definitions are coming together?
I'm gonna do a little bit more on your edges.
These are both natural hairstyles that you can rock.
-Oh, yeah. I see it. Uh-huh. -Isn't that fun?
-You feeling gorgeous? -I am.
I ordered a six pack of Slap Ya Mama. I'm gonna start using it in your honor.
-Gonna think of you every time I make it. -Yay! [laughs]
You were mentioning that you hate food that's bland.
-Yes. -That's your issue with healthier options.
Hello Fresh is setting you up with a year of meals.
What I love about Hello Fresh is that it gets delivered to your doorstep.
That little element of going to the grocery store,
which people like you don't necessarily have time to go to a grocery store.
-Can't stand the grocery store. [laughs] -They change their recipes every week.
I think the longest are probably 40 minutes.
Some of them are 30 minutes or even less,
and I think that you can totally implement Carter,
and he can just sit and watch his mom make food.
-That's some of my best memories. -Good.
-I'm so happy for you. Yeah. Okay. -Thank you. Thank you so much.
-[Tan] Hello, my love. -[Jereka] Hello!
[Tan] I wanted to get you a wardrobe
that makes you feel excited about getting dressed in the morning.
Sophisticated enough for you to feel like,
"I'm the boss of this establishment."
Now that you've got your hair the way it is,
I want you to play with jewelry.
-And so I just wanna play dress up again. -Okay.
-[Ben] Oh, wow. -Come on back.
-[laughs] Oh, wow. -Isn't this amazing?
-I was not expecting this. -[laughing]
-Oh! Hello! -Aww!
-Whoa. -[Antoni] Yeah!
-[Carter] Cool! -[Bobby] You like it?
[Carter] Yeah.
-Are you ready? -[all] Yes.
Okay, great. Jereka, come on out, my love.
[cheering]
Do I look like a West African queen or what?
-Yes, I called it, mama, yes! -I mean…
[Karamo] Yes!
[Tan] Look at Mommy. Doesn't Mommy look nice?
-What do you think? -[Karamo] Mommy looks gorgeous.
[Jereka] Now, yes, I got a haircut.
-[laughs] -[Ben] I love that hair.
[laughing]
-Oh, wow. -She looks gorgeous, right?
I love the way she looks. I love the hair too. It looks very nice.
Hey, Carter, are you ready to go see Mama's work?
-[Carter] Yeah. -Yeah? Let's go see Mama's work.
Okay, all right.
-[Jereka laughing] -[Antoni] Let's go!
♪ Ain't seen nothing like me No, oh, oh! ♪
♪ Better be ready… ♪
[Bobby] We're here!
-[laughing] -[indistinct chattering]
[Bobby] You ready to see Mama's new break room?
-Come on in, Carter. -[Karamo] Go on in.
-Oh, boy, look at this. -[Bobby] Whoa, look at this!
This isn't a break room. This is a lounge.
-[Jereka] This is wonderful! -[Jonathan] Wow!
-[Antoni] Wow! -[Jereka] Oh, my gosh!
This is wonderful!
Oh, my God, Bobby!
-Now, this is a break room. -[Jereka] This is a Jereka break room.
-[Karamo] Wow! -[Jereka] Oh, my gosh! Wow.
You've given almost 13,000 COVID tests.
You vaccinated 3,000 people.
You've enrolled 125 students.
Isn't this amazing?
[all] Yeah!
[Bobby] You wanna see outside now?
-Yeah! -All right.
The new outside break area.
-[Jereka] Oh, wow! It's so beautiful. -[Bobby] Go ahead!
[laughs] Wow!
[Bobby] Thanks! Now everybody has a place to come outside.
-[Antoni] This is great. -[Jereka] And they really deserve it too.
'Cause those numbers couldn't have happened without them.
-[Tan] Of course. -[Karamo] Yes.
This would just be so amazing if you could celebrate with some friends.
-[cheering] -[Jonathan] Right? Right?
[laughing]
-Look at my partner! -[cheering]
[laughing]
This is a moment for Jereka to look around in the place she established,
all the people who love her and support her,
so she can remember, "You're not alone."
I do not work without you all.
You have blown away my expectations
and people who said that you couldn't do it.
You not only did it, but y'all knocked that shit out the water. [laughs]
I'm so proud of you, and this space is for you.
[Jonathan] Yes!
-[woman] My hero! -[Jonathan] Here, queen.
Everything about Jereka I look up to, honor. I celebrate.
-[all cheering] -[cork pops]
She is already a formidable woman. Such a force in her community.
She just needed somebody to remind her that she is
just as important as the work that she's doing.
[indistinct chatter]
-[Todd] Yes, it is. -They are? [chuckles]
[Todd] Yes, it is.
[Antoni] Every single person knows how much she deserves this.
It's always nice to see a hero win.
-Everybody raise your glass. -[woman] Mm.
[Karamo] We have met one of the most phenomenal,
exceptional Black women I have ever met,
one of the most phenomenal, exceptional human beings I've ever met.
This week was not only about pampering you, showing you love,
but as we talked about, it was about celebrating you.
And as you can see, surrounded by all these people,
you are a light in your family and in your community.
[chuckles] But we need to remind you to always just take a moment
and celebrate yourself.
-[Tan] Can I get an amen? -[all] Amen!
-To Senator Jereka! -[laughing]
-[Karamo] To Jereka! -[all cheering]
[shouting]
[laughing]
If you're looking for a quick and inexpensive way to fertilize your plants,
you'll probably be surprised to know it's already under your bathroom sink.
Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate.
It's a great way to help plants absorb nutrition better.
To do it, take a teaspoon of Epsom salt. You can put it directly into the soil,
or you can take another teaspoon, put it in a cup of water
and lightly spray it on the leaves.
It's as easy as that.
-[pop music playing] -[vocalizing]
♪ Hey! ♪