WATCH: This Black Woman created an organization system that will have you living the Best Today Ever!

Essence Content

In partnership with New Voices Foundation, ESSENCE recently returned with Shop ESSENCE Live, where vendors from our personal E-commerce platform are interviewed for a little more insight into their brands and business ventures. For its latest episode, host NöNe Dunivan chats with Shunta Grant, owner of Best Today®, a company changing the way that women plan and live out their days! In this episode, Shunta discusses how she started her career as a private practice attorney and took lessons she learned there to create a company to help all women add their health and humanity into their daily plans by creating planning products that allow you to narrow your focus on what’s most important one day at a time.    During the shop live, Shunta also shared how simple steps like properly previewing your week before it begins and planning your day ahead of time can help to reduce and eliminate burnout and overwhelm in your day-to-day life. She highlighted the Weekly Preview Planning Pads (available in two styles), Today’s Results and Outcome Pad (available in three sizes) and the company’s hero product, the Best Today Guide, a 14-week undated guided planner.    Shunta’s desire to create a company that allows you to get things done while also prioritizing your mental, emotional and physical well-being isn’t going unnoticed.  In 2022 over 15% of Best Today® customers were referred by their doctor or therapist.  If you’re ready to stop running late, being overly busy, and adding more things to your to-do list, it’s time to give the products at Best Today® a try!  All products are available at besttoday.co

Transcript

00:00And welcome to another episode of Shop Essence Live. My name is Noni, your host and also vice

00:06president of video and branded content here at Essence. It is a new year and I know everybody

00:12is hashtagging new year, new you. Well here at Essence, not only are we, we're saying goodbye

00:18to new year's resolutions because you already know when you say new year's resolution, we don't plan

00:23to keep it. We're making new year's commitments, the new year commitment, 2023. Think about all

00:29the things that you wanted to accomplish this year on this show, Shop Essence Live in partnership

00:34with the New Voices family. We bring you black owned brands that make products for us, by

00:39us. And today both companies are on a mission to help you better yourself. How many of you

00:47guys have new year's commitments to yourself that you want to increase productivity? You

00:54want to stop procrastinating? Hello, hello. Is it meant to be that I started five minutes

00:59late and the first person is going to get me together on how I can stop procrastinating?

01:04I'm really, really excited for that. Can you guys hear me? I'm seeing a comment that somebody

01:09can't hear me.

01:15What you guys can hear me. How about now? See, I see you guys saying you want to better

01:20yourself. Somebody can hear me. Okay, so the first business that we are going to be joined

01:25by Shantae is about to hook us up with helping us have the best today. And remember when you

01:32shop here at Shop Essence Live, you are shopping directly with these black owned brands. So

01:36when I'm bringing up these products and you're clicking buying, you are buying directly with

01:40these brands. Okay, no cut going to me, Essence, nobody, but these businesses because we are

01:45on a mission to propel these businesses. So Shantae, I already see you. I already see you.

01:55I'll be telling you guys throughout the show. You have an idea. There's an amazing foundation

02:03called New Voices Foundation. We'll tell you about how to join Shantae. I already told Shantae

02:12because I am champion procrastinator and it's something I've been trying to work on year over

02:17year. And I have been using your products. But I know you have the breakdown. You have the

02:24whole philosophy. At first, I was just like, oh, this is a lot because I don't, I don't

02:28do anything. I don't do any of this planning. So I started out with a big notebook. Before

02:33we get into your products, I'd love for you to just break down your story, break down your

02:38mission and what you have created for the people.

02:41Yes, thank you. First of all, thank you so much for your time this evening. I'm so excited

02:46to share Best Today with the Essence family. My name is Shantae Grant and I am the founder

02:51and creator of Best Today, where we are on a mission just to help humans to be proactive

02:56and intentional with your time and understand that planning starts with you. Everything that

03:02we do at Best Today centers you. You know, I started my career as a attorney, a litigator

03:07in private practice. And one of the things that I got a first eye view of is people who felt

03:12like treated themselves like they were machines. You were literally billing every hour. You treat

03:17yourself like a robot. Your productivity is based on what you're producing and how much

03:22you can do. And so that was kind of my first taste of a career. And from there, I really

03:28started working with other women and I realized the planning products that are out there treat

03:32us like robots. It's wake up and here's a list from 6am to 6pm. Tell us what you're going

03:37to do. And that's what makes you important. That's what makes you who you are. That's what

03:42decides whether or not you're fulfilling your time well.

03:45And I wanted to change that conversation for those who also wanted a different look, a

03:49different perspective. I wanted people to understand that if we're not planning and

03:54centering ourselves, who we are, what we want, honoring the season of life we're in, then

04:00all of the things, no matter how many pretty products you get, you're still going to feel

04:04burnt out, overwhelmed, tired, and still feeling like I've been moving all day, but what

04:10happened? I had this long list of stuff. And I know y'all feel me in the audience and

04:15I know you're looking at me like some emojis if Shantae is speaking to your whole entire

04:20soul.

04:20Step on my toes in.

04:22Right. Yes. So I wanted to create products that allowed you to be proactive and intentional

04:27with your time, but also first and foremost, start making it a habit of asking yourself,

04:32what is it that I need? What is it I need for my mental, emotional, physical wellness? And incorporating

04:38that in your day and understanding that productivity treats you like a machine. Intentionality allows

04:43you to pull in your humanity, your humanity into it. And you can still get the things done

04:49that matter, but that's it. Just the things that matter and not all the things that could

04:53possibly be done that really aren't even relevant to the things that matter to you right now.

04:58So that's what best today is here to do. And I am so excited to share it with the world

05:03every single day.

05:05Shantae, first of all, yes. Snaps in the chat. Everybody's loving this. We know every year

05:12in our mind, it's like, it's a reset. We want to try to do all the things that we have, we

05:17have struggled this year. We're going to do it. Right. And I think it's so important what

05:22you said about creating a tool that really speaks to how we're living in our everyday life,

05:28especially as, you know, Black women, as busy moms, some of us, career moms, all of the above.

05:35You know, for a lot of us, we have a huge to-do list all the time.

05:39All the time.

05:40And then life gets in the way. And then we just feel like we didn't accomplish anything,

05:44even though that might not actually be the actual fact. So personal thank you. Thank you. I want to

05:51remind everyone, if you guys have questions as we're going through these products, I'm watching the

05:55chat. So please do drop your questions in there. Shantae, tell us what the first product is that

06:00you want to hire. So the first thing we're going to talk about is the week today preview pad. And so

06:06one of the core teachings that we teach is every week, plan your week before it begins,

06:11preview a week before it begins, no later than Sunday. And so what that looks like is you want

06:16to be able to go into your week and not on Thursday like, ooh, I forgot Friday was the day we were

06:21supposed to all wear blue to work and all my blue is dirty. Oh, I forgot I was supposed to pick up

06:26them cupcakes because Thursday's the thing. If on Sunday, right, on Sunday, we have already looked

06:31at what is going to happen. Now we have an overview. Now we can even say, oh, you know what? My

06:36Thursday is so full. I'm going to ship some of that. Or I noticed I always put, I put calls

06:41peppery throughout my every day. I want to start so that Tuesdays are protected. No calls on Tuesdays

06:47because I'm tired of like chopping up my day with calls. All of this happens when you get an

06:51overview and start looking at your own habits and patterns. And so we have two options. And I know,

06:57I know. You need it. I know. You got it over there. You're good to go. You're good. I got you. I got

07:02you. Because you're like, you know what? Let me get this out and start getting my pen. Yes. So we have two

07:09styles for you. The first one is called the clear your mind style. This is actually our bestseller.

07:14It gives you space. And what I also love is at the top, it has that positive affirmation for the

07:19week. We want to remember, like, you know, you know, when you look at what's happening this week,

07:23oh, this is the week I need to remind myself. Be still. Slow down. You are enough. Whatever that

07:30affirmation you might need, we're putting that in there. And then this week, I'm primarily focused on

07:35how often are you actually narrowing your focus? You go into the week, just be like, I'm going to just

07:40do whatever. Whoever needs me, I got you. You want me to call? You want me to do that? Okay.

07:43I got you too. You need that too. Okay. Let me just, no, we're not doing that. We're defining

07:47our focus so that as the week happens, it's almost like, can you? Nope. That's not on my

07:52focus. But you know what? I got you written down. I'm going to circle back with you on

07:56next Sunday when I preview next week. And I can let you know if I can fit you in. It

08:00lets you narrow that down. And then what does success look like at the end of my week? And

08:03that's on the top of both styles. But the clear your mind gives you that space. We have

08:07teachers who love this one. I see one that is actually on this live. Teachers love this

08:12because they can put like different things throughout the week. Their attendance is in

08:15here. And then you have your full weekly as well. This covers 50 weeks. So if you get

08:19it now, it's going to cover the rest of your 2023. Choose the style that works for you or

08:24you can get both. But really learning how to preview your week is just one. I always say

08:29that's the first step. If anyone doesn't know where to start, let me teach you how to preview

08:33your week. Because that in itself is now you can say, okay, oh, I didn't even know I had

08:38this much going on. Oh, I actually not as much as I thought. Preview your week every

08:42week. And we can make it very simple for you in the weekly preview pads.

08:46My mind is so blown already. Because it feels like and I know I'm probably not alone. You

08:54have what you need to get accomplished in that day. As a pivot comes or a fire and da da da da,

09:02you're just constantly knocked off. And then that same list just carries on to the next day. And

09:07then you're out of the week. And then what happened? So previewing the week and really

09:12allowing yourself to just give yourself some space of like all the things that you need.

09:18And I like what you said about boundaries too. If somebody's trying to encroach in that,

09:23you can look in the week, right? And see where you can fit them. And I love, love, love that.

09:30If you're just tuning in, this is Shop Essence Live. We are live right now with Best Today.

09:35Um, and they're telling us how to get our lives together. I know y'all want to stop

09:40procrastinating. I know y'all want to stop going into the weekend with a monkey on your back. Like,

09:45uh, should I do this on the weekend? This is allowing us freedom.

09:49Yeah. Yes. Really have a lot of lives that we're supposed to have.

09:52That's it. Joy, joy, peace, and freedom. It belongs to you. And I want to say this because

09:56I always have someone says, Oh, but I'm, I work full time. I'm a full time student. I got three

10:01kids. Guess what? I work with people who have all those things as well. And they have learned

10:06how to make it work in their season. There is no person on any season that these products won't work

10:12for you. Oh, so good. Good. All right. Um, so Jillian wants to know, did you mention the no

10:19more distraction section? I know. We got two customers. Yes. I'm going to get to that when

10:24we get to the third product. Okay. But thank you for already telling the people to be ready.

10:28To be ready. Yeah. Be ready. Oh, right. What's next? Okay. Next. Oh, this is, I try not to play

10:36favorites, but this is one of my favorites. This is called the results and outcome notepads. And it

10:39comes in three sizes because we understand everyone has different phases of life. Perhaps

10:44you are someone who doesn't have a lot on the, on your daily to do. You volunteer during the week

10:48or during the day. You have a few things you want the smaller size. I use this on the weekends.

10:52You have your medium for the person who has like, you know, I have a little bit going on every day,

10:56but not a ton. And then this is for probably most of the people in the audience, the size large.

11:01You also can bundle and get all three sizes because maybe you use this Monday through Friday,

11:05Saturday, Sunday. Right. But what I love about the results and outcome pad is it's the only

11:09thing you need throughout the day. It's not just a place where your results and outcomes for the

11:14day. Notice I'm not saying to do's. Let's pause right there for a quick second. Yeah.

11:18See, when people hear to do's, they, I liken to do lists to junk drawers. You know that drawer in

11:23your house or that closet in your house or that room in your house where when someone's like,

11:28you know what that drawer. Girl, just put it over there. Just put it over there. Just put it in that drawer

11:31because that's what to do lists are because it's already this long list of stuff. You don't even know

11:36what's in there. Stuff been in there since you bought the house. Stuff been in there since you

11:41had the idea 14 years ago. And you, it's easy to just keep putting stuff on your to-do list.

11:45So what we do is we turn the conversation and we get actionable here. It's called results and

11:50outcomes. What are the results I need today? The outcomes I need today? Not what are the things

11:55my body and brain and mind and energy and resources could do? We're not doing that no more. Okay.

12:01We left that in 2022. We left that in January 11th. Okay. So now you have the results and outcome. It

12:07gives you results and outcomes for the day. Then as you're going throughout the day, next and future

12:11steps. Oh, okay. So y'all want to, so next I need to give you the folder on that and I need to do a

12:16summary of that. You put that there. Oh, so next Thursday, we're talking at three. You put that here.

12:20Now I'm not, I'm not sure. I need to, I need to ask Bobby about blah, blah, blah. That goes in the

12:24distractions, hurdles, question issues. Now at the end of the day, you have a full snapshot

12:29of everything from your day. And when you plan the next day, because another rule at best today is

12:35we plan every day, the day or night before you can look and say, okay, I need to add this to my

12:40calendar. This is a question. Let me go on and send that email off now with that question I had.

12:44Oh, and here's the next step. Let me go on and give myself a date that this is going to be due.

12:48Take it off and start your next day. Live your best life and be free. Three sizes.

12:54I'm exhaling. I'm exhaling a lot on this one.

12:57This is good.

12:59If you're watching, get the results out.

13:01This is good, guys. Invest in yourself and your freedom. Peace of mind. Okay. Keep going.

13:07Okay. So go to the last one. You ready for the third one?

13:10Yes.

13:10Okay. Last and not least is our hero product, our signature product. This is what we started

13:16this company with, and it is called the best today guide. We got a lot of besties who are in the

13:21audience. I see them. They've been asking, girl, talk about the best today guide, but you know,

13:25we had to save that one for last. This is a 14 week undated, which means you can start it

13:30whenever. We're not waiting for the first. That I really love. Yeah. We made it undated because I

13:36didn't want people to say, oh, I'm going to get my life together in January or the beginning of next

13:40quarter. So, or you know what? In June, I'm wait halfway through July. No, no, no. Today. That's why

13:45this company is also called best when today. So this is a 14 week undated guided planner, but here's the

13:51thing that I love about it. You plan your months, your weeks, your days all in here. And at the

13:55beginning, there are intentional start pages that help you get clear. It gives you space to say, okay,

14:01what is it that I actually want in life? Like this is an important question. Why is it an important

14:05question? Because the things you're doing today should in some form or fashion be leading you

14:10to the life you want, the thing you want 10 years from now, 20 years from now. So we want to be

14:14intentional about that. Then it helps what won't get me there. What are the unhealthy patterns?

14:18You start thinking about the routines, the top things for the next 14 weeks. One of my favorite

14:22is this wins memories and lessons page. This is my favorite, favorite, favorite page, because

14:26as you go out through the 14 weeks, you want to remember those things that are happening that

14:31delight your soul. The picnic you went on with a friend, the hike you went on with a friend,

14:36the conversation you had with your parent or grandparent, all these things that you're going

14:39to cherish. You have a space to remember them. So at the end of the 14 weeks, you can come back

14:44and you might feel defeated about one part of business or life, but you can say, look

14:48at the beautiful life I lived in the last 14 weeks and rejoice in that because we're always

14:53going to come back to you and your joy as well. There's a place where you narrow your focus.

14:57You have a breakdown month by month, and then you plan your weeks. And it's just like, so

15:01you'll notice this part mirrors the weekly preview plan. So if you have the best today,

15:06guy, you're going to be able to preview your week and plan your days. And then my other favorite

15:10part is every morning, there's a morning practice. What does my best look like today?

15:14What are the unhealthy things I need to avoid today? What matters today? What does not? I love

15:19this because again, it puts those blinders on my day. If it's not what matters today, it does not get

15:24my energy, my time, my resources, my vision for the future. And one thing you're doing to progress

15:29yourself for that. So this really is like, this is the Cadillac. This is the Rolls Royce of the company.

15:35And we understand for some people that might feel like a lot to take on. That's why we created

15:40products like the weekly preview planning pads and the results and outcomes. If you want to learn by

15:45practicing one part first, then you can work your way after being consistent in this for 50 days,

15:5150 weeks, then you might be ready to bring on the best today guide. Oh, and I was going to mention,

15:58if you like the results and outcomes and the weekly, we have a bundle so you can save the week today

16:04bundle where you bundle them together. And you also get a manual that I wrote that is 20, 20 plus pages

16:10in this manual. I'm teaching you how to preview your month, your weeks, your days with examples and

16:15mock-ups like there's no excuses. Like, and so that all comes bundled together. If you're just getting

16:20started and you really want to know, I want to do this. This sounds really good, but how I teach you that

16:27in the manual as well, because I don't want to just give you products that are pretty on your desk.

16:30That is not what we exist for. We exist to help change lives and we can't do that. That's a two-way partnership.

16:36We do our part and we need you to engage and do your part as well.

16:40Wow. We are getting y'all so together at the top of this year. And I love the not having dates. So

16:49there's no excuse, you know, getting the bundle. You don't have to wait till January. You don't

16:54have to, Oh, I missed, I missed the windows. Oh, maybe next year. This is great. I love the one

17:01today at a time. Yes. So great. People, people are for the mission of getting their lives together.

17:08Cause when I tell you this cart is going, this cart is going insane. I love it. All right. Bye,

17:13bye, bye. Before I let you go, we do have another business coming up. It's going to help you with

17:18your health is the first service-based company that we've had. Um, before I let you go, this is in

17:23partnership with new voices family. I'd love for you to tell everyone what that experience has been

17:29like for you to be a part of such an amazing community. I'm going to tell you new voices.

17:36I'm going to try not to cry just thinking about it. They have been a huge support to me. The,

17:41I think the biggest thing is they have made, when you work with new voices, you don't feel like

17:46you're in a space where you have to prove yourself that you're, you're qualified. You just get to be

17:52qualified. I get to show up and actually just work. I don't have to come to the door and prove that I

17:57belong in the space. And just not to have that burden in itself is something that we all need.

18:03Um, I was a participant in their, uh, Madam CJ Walken bootcamp in 2021. I was in the pitch competition

18:09at essence and was one of the winners. Um, so they have not only provided me with first the

18:13relationships. I am texting my sisters who I've met through new voices. I'm getting emails. If I have

18:18a question I need, who would I contact about this? I'm always getting an email. Hey, do this. You should

18:23do that here. Here's a contact. I can get a call for you. Let me do an introduction. And then the

18:27resources, the resources, not only in the people, but having people believe in you. If you are a

18:32business owner, if you are a woman of color in particular, and you are not connected to new

18:36voices, do yourself a favor and connect today. Because I just can't say enough good things about

18:42what they have done, how they have poured into me and how they have made me feel, uh, more confident

18:47as a business owner. Because a lot of times, especially in the space that I'm in, the space that I'm in

18:51is heavily, heavily predominant, uh, predominant white men. And so it's really nice to come into

18:57a room where people say, we already, you're already validated here. Let's just get to work

19:01as opposed to walking in some rooms. You have to say, well, here's how I can prove that I belong

19:05in the room. Yeah. There's none of that. That proof is already, um, already there with new voices.

19:10Ah, Shantae, Shantae. All right. So I'm going to hold myself accountable. I'm going to make sure I

19:17follow you guys. And, um, I got your number now. So yeah, as I said, you have mine. I got your

19:23number. You can check in with me because this is a huge, huge commitment that I am making to myself,

19:30um, and my family this year to make sure that I am on point so I could be free. I want my weekends

19:36free. I want my evenings free. Um, and my peace of mind, I want freedom of peace of mind as well.

19:42Um, but you, I got to thank you, sis, because this is such an incredible product and it is so

19:48needed. I don't know if it would have ever existed without you. So thank you. And that that's what

19:54this show is about. Um, if there is a problem, there's a black woman somewhere going to talk.

19:59You were allowed about that. So thank you. Thank you so much, Shantae. Um, health in our Q is up next.

20:06I do see you guys in the comments. Bye Shantae. Bye everyone.

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