Chat with Monica

In this week's episode, I talk to my cousin about life during the pandemic. She shares her story and frustration with graduating from Howard University. The goal after graduation was to find a job in China but instead, she is looking for a job amongst the millions of other graduates.

We also talked about dating and the hopes for the future. She explains why she is single. It is very interesting to hear a woman never wanting to be married or have kids or even having the desire to date. Tune In you may be surrised at what you hear.

In another serious episode of Balanced Insanity, I and my friend Lamar discuss dating preferences. As usual, the episode starts with Lamar introducing himself. He briefly talks about his sexual identity before moving on to talk about his dating preference. As 38 years old, he has plenty of dating experience. Therefore, he shares his experiences and dating advice without mincing any words.

We then move on to discuss our love language. Lamar is unsure. I, on the other hand, am always open to express what I like. If you’re a regular listener of my podcast, then you’ve probably heard me say these things before. For Lamar, dating isn’t just for fun. It’s to help you find your significant other. He believes having a shoulder to lean on makes life a little bit easier. However, online dating has made things difficult for everyone.

OkCupid, PlentyofFish, and Hinge are some of the online dating apps we discuss throughout the episode. I think people use these apps for just meaningless sex. People are rarely genuine on these sites. You are judged based on your pictures and words alone, which is quite superficial since a person is much more than a pretty face. We also talk about pickup lines. Everyone’s different so don’t expect a single pick-up line to work every time.

In the second half of the podcast, Lamar explains his perspective on dating preferences. While some of my friends question his preferences, he explains his rationale behind the choices he’s made so far. I tend to share my personal life with family members (mom, in particular) and ask for their advice. Lamar is the total opposite. He likes to keep his relationships to himself only, which is also a very sensible thing to do.

Dating on social apps makes me nervous. You never know what kind of a person you’re going to meet. That’s why I don’t always jump to dating without first knowing them. Lamar agrees. People often lie on social media. Show what they’re not. Besides, just because you’re friends with someone on social media doesn’t mean they’re your real friends. Only real friends are your real friends.

During this episode, we go back and forth about dating preferences. Lamar gets plenty of time to explain his dating choices. I mostly take a back seat but don’t hesitate to voice my opinion every so often. This is a rather serious episode of Balanced Insanity. Surprisingly, there are no jokes (which is kinda rare). The podcast ends with a bit of nice dating advice from our side. So tune in for an hour which has plenty of dating advice and some hidden gems about online dating.

Key Moments:

• Introduction to Lamar [00:52]

• Sexual identity and dating preference [02:57]

• Advice to serial daters out there [06:23]

• A discussion on our Love Language [08:55]

• Dating for Lamar [11:50]

• Experience of Dating Sites [15:59]

• Dating Advice [20:00]

• Lamar’s dating preference [29:40]

• Sharing with friends and family for advice [39:38]

• How long do I take before dating them? [45:55]

• Social app scams [50:00]

In this interview-style episode, my friend Kevin and I talk about all things education. Kevin is a College Access Counsellor, so he shares his experiences of working with high school students. Growing up, I feel like we had only a few good teachers. Teachers of color were a rare sight. Even today, we don't see many black educators. We discuss why students today don't need teachers. They need mentors who can also be friends. Teaching will come with friendship naturally. Kevin also talks about the impact of COVID-19 on his personal and professional life. As the entire world has been turned upside down, student counseling has also undergone drastic changes – some good, some bad.

Learn More:

• Follow me on Instagram: @readyishpodcast

• Sign up for my newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/ybjr5328

• Email: [email protected]

•. Guest Website: https://www.livefromthebronx.com/

• Live From The Bronx Podcast: https://anchor.fm/livefromthebronx

● “People arguing for quarantine, and people arguing against quarantine… We can’t be closed-minded to either side.”

● “You should be able to look at yourself in the mirror and love everything that you see, whether good or bad.”

● “We have a lot of free time, and people just don’t know how to use this time wisely.”

● “I want to start traveling more, because if my health declines, I would rather have lived a life worth living than just to be suffering, sitting at home doing nothing, or working a 9-to-5 and never seeing the world.”

● “63% more black people are being arrested than white people.”

● “It is something to be said for us as a community where we consistently allow this to happen – that we pretend ‘if I vote this person into office, they’re going to be on my side’. No one is for you until you show up and demand them to be for you.”

● “Why am I targeted and treated like I’m going to murder you just because I’m black?”

● “Everybody should not be getting the same treatment based off of one bad apple.”

● One thing that’s amazing about this pandemic – it gives you the time to reach out to people.

No guests today. In this totally different episode of Balanced Insanity, I express my feelings about the unexpected passing of American Basketball player Kobe Bryant and some of the news surrounding the incident. During this hour, I also ramble about music, my favorite music artists, marriage, the need for marriage, and the reality TV show Bride & Prejudice. Plus, you get an update on my health.

In this episode, Monica gives a brief update on life amid today’s uncertain times. Living with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), Monica was forced to make a variety of lifestyle changes that has challenged her physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. She remains optimistic in spite of her many health obstacles and accepts in her heart that God has a reason for putting her through all these trials.

Monica relates that there have been many who suffered from lupus who, after making deliberate tweaks in their nutrition, became free from any indicators of their disease after a period of time. This is in spite of the fact that the mainstream medical community has not established the existence of a cure to this day. She attributes this phenomenon to how America, and many other countries around the world, have ramped up the production of food chock-full of artificial preservatives and other ingredients that are detrimental to your health in the long-term. By simply choosing to eat all-natural foods with little to no processing, you can potentially live out your years disease-free.

Listen in as Monica reflects on her myriad of health challenges and how she is currently coping, the state of modern-day America’s nutrition and certain aspects of healthcare, and her dating prospects and the question of marriage.

I’ve invited my friend Brittney for this episode. We get along really well, which makes for a very enjoyable hour with lots of laughs. As the episode's title suggests, we mainly discuss dating but touch upon many other related topics such as expectations while dating, social media, friends, friendzone, etc. In the end, Brittney faces the Quick Draw for some snappy answers. After a couple of very serious episodes, we’re back to the lighthearted nature of the show.

My homegirl Equan and I continue where we left off in the previous episode. Relationships are complex. Ignoring and forgiving somethings in a relationship can be challenging. We share what we can compromise on and what is off-limits. Moreover, what's annoying for a person, can be adorable for another, such as popping up at a partner’s place unannounced. Tune in to hear our thoughts on love, forgiveness, spontaneous meetups, and more. Plus, Equan faces my “Quick Draw” questions for some very fun answers.

In this women-centric episode of Balanced Insanity, I and my homegirl Equan discuss what makes a man a man and how the definition of a man has changed over the years. Moreover, today's men behave differently from the past, whether they're dating, in a relationship, or it's merely a friendship. Why is it so? Are men not men anymore, or it shows some deep rooted problems with our overall behavior? Let's find out!

In this totally different Balanced Insanity episode, my homegirl Meika and I talk about various American TV series. From Married at First Sight and 90 Days Fiancé to Marrying Millions, Pose and Grown-ish, we question lifestyle choices and discuss various aspects of relationships of the couples featured in each program. In the end, we express our views about the entire Black Men Don’t Cheat movement. So, tune in for a fun discussion on contemporary American TV and what it teaches us about relationship and dating in general.