Being Black British isn't one-size-fits-all. From Zambian traditions to Irish humour, my identity is a rich mix of cultures, each with its own beauty and challenges. I celebrate every part of it but they don’t always celebrate me so let's get into it!

In this week's Chik Chat episode I talk about what it means (for me) to be a Black Brit and how I’m navigating this as I plan to marry an Irish man.

What do you do when you realise you're not okay?

In this week’s episode of the Chik Chat podcast, I open up about my personal journey and the best practices I've implemented to keep going. From not being able to leave the house due to anxiety to thriving in my career while navigating a depressive episode, I’ve learned that not all advice is helpful. So, I’m sharing practical, realistic solutions you can use when you're struggling mentally.

Tune in to discover ideas that have genuinely worked before, during, and after you realise you’re not okay.

What do you do when you’re struggling in life but your work is in front of a camera?

In this episode, I’m opening up about the struggles we don’t often see online. From burnout to the pressure of always being 'on,' there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes. I talk about the mental health challenges that come with being an influencer, CEO, COO, 2025 bride, the firstborn daughter and what I’ve learned about taking care of myself in the process.

I’m a 2025 bride (I think…) and as an oldest daughter that also happens to be self-employed, there are some tips I wish I’d heard before we got engaged.

Some of this advice might seem straightforward and you may have been like me and listened to it before without actually hearing it so don’t say you weren’t warned 👀

Let me know if you have any tips for a girl simply trying to survive!

This week on the Chik Chat Podcast, I was joined by Orla and had an amazing conversation about Race Equality in Northern Ireland and the world in general.

Orla McKeating, whose pronouns are she/her, is an EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Leader, Entrepreneur, and Speaker from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

In 2019, Orla founded Still I Rise Diversity Storytelling, an initiative focused on providing learning through storytelling sessions and workshops for children and young people, as well as training for adults and educators. The platform addresses important issues often absent from traditional storybooks, including race, neurodiversity, male mental health, LGBTQ+ topics, inclusive language, disabilities, diverse families, immigration, and more.

As a writer and speaker, Orla specialises in race issues, stigma, and inclusion. She has delivered two TEDx talks: one on race issues and the stigma surrounding single parenting (Stormont, 2019) and another on "The 3 Pillars of Privilege" (Enniskillen, 2022).

Orla is also a fellow of the Acumen Academy, known as the world’s school for social change, where she honed the skills, values, and moral leadership necessary to address poverty and injustice.

Her mission is to create trusted spaces that celebrate all individuals, fostering inclusion, acceptance, and ensuring that all children and people feel seen, heard, valued, and celebrated.

Orla resides in Belfast and is a single mother to her mixed-race son, Elliot, aged 11.

Instagram: @therealorlaveronice

Facebook: Orla McKeating

X (formerly Twitter): @orlamckeating

Chik Chat Podcast Episode 2: I introduced you all to my boyfriend and now I am so ecstatic to introduce you to my fiance in episode 68!

If you listened to the Black & White Thinking episode where we talked about marriage you will know I always planned to celebrate this man so be prepared because I’m ecstatic to be sharing my forever best friend with you lot!

On this episode of the Chik Chat podcast, Asson joined me, it was amazing to catch up and get a life update about how it’s been since the last time we spoke.

We get into talking about life, work-life, wins and of course our mental health.

Asson Kasonde is a Zambian-born father of 2 (a boy and a girl), currently working in the finance sector in Manchester which is an exciting industry to be a part of but more on that later! He also enjoys a round of the old man’s game GOLF whenever he can - also an escape to focus on my mental health.

You can usually find him on Instagram @bashi_mulenga or on Twitter @A4JonesK.

On this episode of the Chik Chat podcast I have the pleasure of being joined by Dr. Wannie - a Dr., first born daughter and content creator. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Wannie since we were kids and thought it was about time we started the chat around being Zambian daughters - there will be more…

Dr. Wannie, originally from Zambia and raised in the UK, is a medical doctor working in infectious disease research. She pursued her medical studies at Newcastle University and has since made contributions to her field, presenting her findings at national conferences and working on several upcoming publications.

With a passion for health, well-being and education, Dr. Wannie has been creating content on social media for the past seven years. Her content ranges from medical education and inspiration to general lifestyle topic, reaching and influencing a broad audience.

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@drwannie

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/doctorwannie/

Can you change your life in 6 months?

I think you can and I’m going to show you by ignoring my own embarrassment and being cringey. 

Why? Because whatever I find cringey isn’t what someone else might find cringey and they might just be in the room I’ve been praying to be in…

I’ll update you each month with where I am but I’m also hoping you join in! Also shout out to Lynn for making the video that inspired me to do this!

Setting boundaries in life is important however since meeting Ellie, I have found that systems can help firm your boundaries in both life and business. A LOT has changed since our last podcast together!

Ellie moved halfway across the world after marrying a beautiful Irishman. This extroverted, perfectionist found the transition hit HARD! So she made a plan, she started Calibrated Concepts to have all. the. flexibility.

But what she quickly found was that if you let it, a business will suck up all of these things and more! It can feel like a hamster wheel of tasks that you can never stop spinning because everything will fall apart.

So she did what she does best. She created systems and a kickass website to protect my time, energy and yes my flexibility. And then she started doing it for my clients too!

Now she’s *this* close to fully realising my plan to be able to move back and forth between our home countries as and when we please.