CMBL

This past season, CMBL founder, Ciru Karanja, has explored multiple topics with extraordinary guests that reflect what Clear Minds Better Livez stands for. We want to convey the message that it is okay to open up and talk about mental health. It is a topic that many find difficult to even begin thinking about, but it is a necessary one. This season has also explored topics about how the world around us affects our mental health status and it just lets you know that it is okay to feel things. We do not have control over many things in our surrounding environments, but we can combat it but taking care of our minds, bodies, and spirits. In this episode, Ciru Karanja, talks about her closing remarks over this past season. She shares her gratitudes to our guests, and also to you, the audience. We hope to see you in the next iteration of the podcasts.  

What would you say to someone who is dealing with inner turmoil and is not overall at peace with who they are. Would you be willing to lend them an ear so that they can sit and talk to you, or would you pass it along and recommend that they seek professional help? What if you were the one in their position? It takes a lot to begin the journey of healing the pain and emotional, physical, and psychological trauma that you endured in the past. But in order to grow as a person, we have to let those things go no matter how painful or impossible it may seem. Although it may seem like a never ending tunnel and that there is no way you can overcome it, there is light at the end of the tunnel and you such a strong person even though you may not see that now. This episode is very special this week. CMBL founder, Ciru Karanja, sits down with Dr. Kelly Flanagan, a psychologist, author, and public speaker, and they discuss the journey of self reflection and healing. Dr. Flanagan also talks about his books, Loveable, and his upcoming book, True Companions, which speak truth to every individual, especially during these challenging times. 

We are currently living in a dangerous point in human civilization. With political unrest, being in the middle of a pandemic, we all have another foe that some believe isn't real. Climate change is the process in which the Earth is slowly heating due to green house gasses trapping the Sun's energy in our atmosphere rather than it being back into space. Climate change is very real and is backed up by science. This is all due to mankind's work. With industrialization only happening a little over two centuries ago, we have polluted our oceans, cut down our forests, displaced billions of animals and wildlife all for profit. This is an issue that needs to be solved now or else we as human beings, no longer have a future on this planet. It is our responsibility to take part in this initiative and do whatever we can to undo this mess that we have made. This week, CMBL founder, Ciru Karanja sits down with her friend, Josh Schneider, and they discuss climate change and the impact it has on our overall mental health. We are all in this together and that is exactly how we should strive to fix this issue, together. 

How do you utilize social media? We are now more connected to each other now than we ever have been thanks to the internet and social media. Globally, we average about two hours a day across all platforms. Whether it is us trying to stay connected with our friends and family, to just getting news, we often find ourselves mindlessly scrolling through content without even realizing how much actual time we are losing. What might this do to our minds on a mental and emotional level? Because we are all individuals, this affects us differently. Sometimes a post can trigger us or make us upset. It is up to us to adapt and overcome this by knowing your limits and in a little of cases, taking a break from social media. CMBL founder, Ciru Karanja sits down with her friend, Jacita Crawford, who is going to school for psychology, and they discuss the pros and cons of using social media and it how it affects us on a mental and emotional level. In the long run, social media can be very beneficial, but it can also be negative on our mental state. 

Our family and friends play a big role in our daily lives and also contribute to who we are as we grow. We are taught new things daily while growing up and are expected to behave in a manner that coincides with this. But have you ever felt that some things you were taught as a child, don’t necessarily fall into what you believe now? This is partly due to a generational gap that mainly affects the relationship between our parents. We often hear "that was the way my parents taught me," or "this is how my parents treated me." This can cause internal confliction within us because the world is not the same to us as it was to our parents. Many things have become a social norm to us that would have been considered taboo to our parents a decade ago. In this episode, Ciru Karanja sits down with her longtime friend and family member, Rachel Wanjema, and they discuss how this perspective has affected their lives and how keeping our parents accountable can help us and them adjust to today's world. 

What does wealth mean to you? This is such a broad question for many because there are so many responses to this question. It could mean being able to spend as much as you want without even having to worry about how much money you have in your account or it could just also mean that you are able to have enough after all your expenses to put the rest in a savings account. But what would generational wealth mean? Are you setting up your future family to be able to get by when you are no longer here, or could it be starting a business that can be passed down. In this week's episode, Ciru Karanja sits down with her friend, Kelvin Njenga, and they discuss what generational wealth means to them and how Kelvin first began his journey through his passion for finances. 

What does nutrition mean to you? To many it is just full-filling your basic nutritional needs and just trying to eat healthy in this fast paced world that we live in. However, there are many other people that struggle with it. We normally don't give a second thought of what we put into our bodies and the adverse effects that it can cause to it, especially when we are on the go. We like to go for whatever is the most convenient and fastest which may not always be the best things for ourselves. Whether it is counting ever calorie you take in, using food as a reward or punishment, or even just not taking into account what you are putting in your body, we have all struggled at one point or another. This can have a direct link with your overall mental health and how you view your food and your body. In this week's episode, CMBL founder, Ciru Karanja, discusses nutrition with her old high school classmate, Miranda Smith. They discuss the journey that Miranda has traveled that has led her to having a passion for nutrition and fitness and how the foods we eat play a role on our mental health. 

We have gotten more progressive as a society. That is due to younger generations growing up and accepting norms and us being more open minded over the previous generation. However, we still have a lot of work and growing to do. Currently, the LGBTQ+ community is still under daily attacks by those who do not accept their lifestyles and treat them differently than any other member of society. In certain part of the world, it is still illegal to marry the opposite sex let alone allow others to live their lifestyle that they chose within the community. Now is the time that we must all come together and continue this fight for their rights. Although we have made remarkable progress in the past few decades, we still face a long and challenging road ahead. For this week's podcast, our founder, Ciru Karnja has a conversation with her long-time friend, Njeri Mureithi and they discuss Njeri's journey of self discovery and navigating her way through the LGBTQ+ community. 

We communicate with others and those we love on a daily basis. At just a glance, we don’t think much about communicating. We talk to one another to get our message or our point across. However, communication is a key skill that we are constantly working on. We all communicate to each other differently and just like how we talk, we also receive differently as well. What you are trying to say or convey doesn’t always receive the same way. Whether it is to our friends, loved ones, or those we work with, we use a different tone or wording. Good communication is key in order to help maintain a clear line of communication. This week, Ruthy Karanja sits down with her sister Liz Karanja and they discuss why communication is both important to maintain boundaries and to also to know how to understand others. 

What is friendship and how do you define it? To many, friendship is about having someone in your corner that you can rely on and who will always be there for you. However, the term friend can often become diluted and we must distinguish between acquaintance and a true friend. We must also take into account those who pretend to be your friend, which in many cases is tricky to distinguish between. Finding a group a friends to call your own is difficult enough as it is. But finding a group you can confide in and grow with is a whole other ballpark. Although they both may seem similar, there is a big difference between the two. In this week's episode, CMBL found, Wanjiru Karanja, sits down with her long time friend, Njoki Waciuri, to discuss what true friendship is and how they have been grown, both in and outside of their relationship.