This week's episode is an important one for me. In telling Caribbean love stories, I wanted to include a Rastafarian couple. 

The Rastafarian community is often seen as full of the outliers, the unconventional ones who live on the fringes of society with an "alternate" way of viewing the world grounded in nature with a strong sense of their African identity. 

This episode is more of a reasoning on relationships and knowing one’s self. In the end, you’ll realise they are just like any family you know.

Things can get a bit explicit when you’re having honest conversations so this is definitely not safe for work. They don’t hold back on their thoughts and every gem feels like sage wisdom. We’re all connected, sending you love, light, blessings, and guidance. 

 p.s. If you’re in the middle of making a hard decision, you already know what to do. 

In this episode, we go into the archives speaking with Melinda Belle about finances and money for the entrepreneur and in the second half, we talk about personal finances and her story. As a divorcee she found herself in a position she would have never imagined but based on her financial-savvy, she’s rebuilding her life and letting women know their strength. If there’s one thing to take away, it’s that there’s life on the other side. It’s the conversation about money you need to hear with all the tips on how to live a better life financially.

You can follow her on Instagram @moneymatterswithmelinda
The additional audio was Jay-Z on Happiness & Money. The full interview can be found here.

Common Thread, the podcast is but a small part of the whole picture. To see more of our work, see photos of the guests, read the blog and even communicate with us, you can go to our website www.whitelinen.co/podcast and follow us on Instagram @__whitelinen__ . Community building is a major part of our core values and we welcome any suggestions on guests and even topics to look into! The support and strength of the tribe we're building are appreciated beyond words and we are thankful to be a part of this illustrious group. 

As an anthropologist, journalist, photographer and video editor, I'm a storyteller at my core and we have so much we can learn from one another if we are open to listening, learning and leading with love.

So, listen and enjoy this journey in our safe space where we honor real stories by being honest with each other and ourselves. 

Sending you all the love,  Jessica 

In this episode, we revisit Season 1. This episode would have originally been recorded via Instagram LIVE. For this conversation,  I sat down with Jasmine Evelyn and the topic was business, self-care, and having a feminist husband. Luckily for us, Shane joined us!

We dive into their love story, speak about being mindful with your body, and also with your partner by communicating. I believe their story and the conversation we had is just as relevant now as it was then. I'm sure you’ll think so too.

You can see Jasmine's work at Mindful Movement Barbados and follow her on her Instagram page.

Common Thread, the podcast is but a small part of the whole picture. To see more of our work, see photos of the guests, read the blog and even communicate with us, you can go to our website www.whitelinen.co/podcast and follow us on Instagram @__whitelinen__ . Community building is a major part of our core values and we welcome any suggestions on guests and even topics to look into! The support and strength of the tribe we're building are appreciated beyond words and we are thankful to be a part of this illustrious group. 

As an anthropologist, journalist, photographer and video editor, I'm a storyteller at my core and we have so much we can learn from one another if we are open to listening, learning and leading with love.

So, listen and enjoy this journey in our safe space where we honor real stories by being honest with each other and ourselves. 

Sending you all the love,  Jessica 

References made:
UWI - the University of the West Indies (they attended the Cave Hill campus) 

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Marlon and Rhea. They provide insight on what life has been like for some of those working closely with COVID-19 her as a doctor and him as a teacher- both having to adapt in ways they never would have imagined. We touch on what support has and continues to look like for them but also some of the hard realities that come with the job. It’s heartbreaking but it’s also beautiful knowing they’ve found balance and love in an unconventional life. 
The pair really do make an "Intensive Care Unit" and they also see each other - the dreams, the work, the intention and the purpose they are both trying to impart on those they come into contact with. They're both on the frontline and their story is one of so many.

The opinions and experiences discussed in this episode are that of the individuals and they do not speak on behalf of others in their field.

Mentioned in the episode: 
Dr. Corey Forde is Head of Infection Control and Infectious Disease and is the Manager of Isolation Facilities in Barbados.

QEH is an abbreviation for Barbados' Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the only free public hospital on island.

Combermere is a free, public co-ed secondary school for students aged 11-18 years old.

In this episode, I sit down with writer, Cherie Jones and talk about the story BEHIND the story - as two Barbadians, we tell the story of Barbados as WE know it AND as the backdrop of her novel, "How the One Armed Sister Sweeps Her House." 

She opens up about some of the personal experiences that provided insight into telling the story of her characters.  

This critically acclaimed debut author also gives us the privilege of an inside look into something she’s working on, her next novel.

Cherie Jones is a storyteller and I’m so glad she never stopped following her dreams. 

Warning: This episode may be triggering for some listeners as it deals with domestic violence. We urge you -  if you know something, say something. Let’s be our sister’s keeper. It can make a difference.  

Originally, this episode was going to be named "Lala's Milieu" as this episode gives a lot of context into the life and environment of the main character of Cherie's book and the actions of the supporting characters. This environment is also the birthplace of the author and provides the setting that enabled harmful attitudes and reactions in a country marketed as paradise. The milieu of most Barbadians is explored with a nod to the 80s but showing that certain aspects of the culture, our values and lack of community still persist while treating locals as mere second-class citizens in the place of their birth.

The supporting audio is from a Travelogue shot for the Government of Barbados by CISA Television, Lethbridge. (1985)

See exclusive photos and read the article covering the case in Barbados where an employee was fired at www.whitelinen.co/podcast. You'll also find the link on where to buy her book! 

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Barbadian political consultant, Peter Wickham and his Italian husband, Giancarlo Cardinale. They talk about their relationship, the process of getting married, and the considerations made around their same-sex union.

We get into what it was like coming out to his parents, and how the story of their wedding broke on the front page of the Nation newspaper's Sunday Sun.

More importantly, we speak about the Caribbean landscape - both socially and politically - as it relates to the LGBTQ+ community and religion. This one is definitely insightful and we hope can shed light, provide representation, and help increase empathy in realising we are all more alike than we are different. 

This is a modern Caribbean love story that spans the Atlantic and we're happy they found each other.   

On this episode we speak with our first guest! She was actually one of the first guests of Common Thread exactly one year before this conversation on Instagram Live. Back then, we spoke about her planning her wedding in a pandemic, being a mom to her then 2 year old, Nala and entrepreneurship. One year later, ahead of Mother's Day, in her third trimester with her second pregnancy, she speaks on what her pregnancy has been like so far, the reality of being a digital influencer (while pregnant) and how she sees motherhood with a new lens especially in hindsight with the feat of the job her mother carried so well. 

 You can follow Zoë Allamby on Instagram @ zoeallamby and her business @caribbeautycosmetics. Her website is www.zoeallamby.com where you can support her business, Caribbeauty Cosmetics by seeing her makeup line ranging from her highlighter, Zo Glow to lip glosses and eye shadow. 

Welcome to Common Thread!

The Common Thread Podcast explores the unique love stories of real Caribbean people; their love, their joy, their pain and the human experience as they navigate through life.   Our guests include people who could easily be your neighbour along with some of the most creative entrepreneurs and icons in their field. 

With every episode and the help of this diverse group of guests, it affirms that we are all more alike than we are different and with every conversation we see there is a common thread connecting us - hence the name.

This project began as an extension of White Linen where we tell Caribbean love stories through photography and videography with a focus on diversity and inclusion. What started as a way to share stories that often go unheard and unseen while under lockdown in Barbados, quickly became an online community of like-minded people dedicated to loving themselves, celebrating the love in their lives and learning new ways of life from our guests. In an effort to continue telling stories and filling this world with more information, representation and love but also support, this podcast was born. 

When it comes to understanding our humanity and legacy,  love stories have it all: history, joy, hope, culture, self-actualisation, community and partnership and the world needs to see more of it! However, we step away from conventional understandings of love and align it with finding the love in every story. Whether it's love for a partner, parent, sibling, or yourself, it's always an extraordinary story waiting to be told and if it provides someone in the region or diaspora feeling seen, gave someone courage or expanded someone's perspective, it's a win we all benefit from. 

Common Thread, the podcast is but a small part of the whole picture. To see more of our work, see photos of the guests, read the blog and even communicate with us, you can go to our website www.whitelinen.co/podcast and follow us on Instagram @__whitelinen__ . Community building is a major part of our core values and we welcome any suggestions on guests and even topics to look into! The support and strength of the tribe we're building are appreciated beyond words and we are thankful to be a part of this illustrious group. 

As an anthropologist, journalist, photographer and video editor, I'm a storyteller at my core and we have so much we can learn from one another if we are open to listening, learning and leading with love.

The conversations started on IG Live in May 2020.  Let’s continue them. 

So, listen and enjoy this journey in our safe space where we honor real stories by being honest with each other and ourselves. 

Sending you all the love,  Jessica