‘How To Get Your Grown Woman On’ Author Dr. Crystal Morris-Newsom Shares How Her Book Helps Teens of Today

Being a woman in today’s society is hard enough, so try navigating adolescence with factors of social media, reality television, body shaming, and more added to the pressure of growing into a healthy (mentally, physically, and spiritually) young woman. It is not an easy feat, but Dr. Crystal Morris-Newsom is making the journey less lonely and straight-forward on how to tackle obstacles young girls may face on the odyssey to getting their “grown woman on,” hence the title of her preteen/adolescence guide.

Dr. Crystal Morris-Newsom penned How To Get Your Grown Woman On – A Guide Through Preteen and Teenage Adolescence, a seven chapter self-help book for teenage girls specifically touching on topics like image, dating, hygiene, and even thoughts of suicide. The Phoenix, Arizona based author also is an accomplished realtor, college professor, and founder of House of Zion Transitional Living for women, a facility dedicated to aiding women with shelter and mentorship. The incomparable Dr. Crystal was gracious enough to send Glambergirlblog a copy of her book and, after reading, agreed on an interview to chat all about what went into creating her guide, why journaling is important, and the potential for a How To Get Your Grown Woman On part two.

Front Cover of How To Get Your Grown Woman On by Dr. Crystal Morris-Newsom

“It’s something else having boys. It’s a blessing and it’s amazing, but when you start having girls you start to feel like ‘oh my gosh they’re going to go through what I went through as a teenage girl,'” Dr. Crystal said about what inspired her to write a self-help guide for teen girls. “I have to do something to not only to help my daughters, but all of our daughters. We are working together. This book is going to be for parents and their daughters.”

During our extensive chat, Dr. Crystal and I swapped stories about growing up in an age when social media wasn’t as prevalent as it is today and how that weighs on young girls. “These kids are exposed to so much more than we ever were exposed to. On the reverse, they are exposed more than we were ever exposed. So anything they do, if they make a mistake, they post something that’s inappropriate trying to get attention, just normal teenage girl things, it’s just right there for everybody to see and judge.”

And having a space to get out all the frustrations society puts on you is why journal pages were included throughout How To Get Your Grown Woman On after each chapter. “When you start writing things down, it’s something about putting your feelings on paper where you can read them back to yourself. It’s almost like having a conversation with yourself,” the author told GGB.

“The amazing thing about when you write things down is that you can freeze time and you can freeze your feelings and your emotions at that particular time and when you come back and read it you learn. You learn more about yourself than anyone could ever tell you. You learn more about yourself than you could ever imagine,” Dr. Crystal concluded further adding her book is about action and not just consuming information.

Dr. Newsom’s book is filled with wealth of information that even a woman like myself well out of my teen years could appreciate. One of the subjects that I gravitated towards was the third chapter about the relationships we have with the first people we meet in our lives. “Familial Relationships (title of chapter three) I think is something that is near and dear to my heart because that’s something that I always tried to give the women in my transitional living facility and my students as I teach at Grand Canyon (University).”

Generational curses are a real thing that Dr. Crystal assures her readers is beatable. “The main thing that I try to do is to let them know things that happen to you are not your fault and you don’t have to be a victim to them things. What you can do is use those things as a motivator and know that God is above all those things. You can press forward and you don’t have to carry that baggage. You can let that go and know that God loves you. You are special, you’re amazing, [and] you’re beautiful inside and out. You don’t have to let those circumstances affect you and practice forgiveness. Forgive your mom for what your mom has done to you. Forgive your dad for what he has done to you, so that way he doesn’t or she doesn’t any claim or control over your life.”

Looking ahead, the thoughts of a guide for young men similar to How To Get Your Grown Woman On entered Dr. Newsom’s mind, because they need guidance as well. She knows from experience  raising three boys of her own. Even the idea of a part two to her teen guide was on the table, but at this moment Dr. Newsom is about moving the topics from the book beyond the pages. Thus an online course was created to do just that. Kicking off June 15th, young girls will really be able to apply the things learned from the book in an even more practical way during the six-week empowerment course. (Register for the Adolescent Survival Course with Dr. Newsom HERE)

“I’m big on forgiveness. I’m big on mercy. I’m big on grace. I’m huge on those things because God has been merciful, gracious, and forgiving to all of us; including me.”

You can order a copy of How To Get Your Grown Woman On and merch to go along with the book now by following link on ConnectingwithCrystal.com. Keep up with Dr. Crystal on Instagram @Iamdrnewsom and if you want to reach her directly via email send a message to authordrnewsom@gmail.com.

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Photo: Dennis Griffin Photography