Culture Meets Wellness

TW: This episode includes discussions of depression. 

Happy new year everyone! This week, we are joined by Samukele Ncube for an incredible discussion about healing, self love, and her new book launch 'Things You Need to Hear Most', which is a collection of poetry and notes rooted in self care.

During this episode, we discuss her experience with depression and illness, feeling misaligned with her true purpose, and how using poetry to heal through her own personal challenges ultimately led to the creation of her book. We also talk about letting go, finding yourself, the importance of maintaining a consistent self-care practice, and how we can each tap into our inner power to create great things, whether that is simply for ourselves or for the world. 

To keep up to date with Sam and pick up a copy of her new book, check out her website: https://www.samukelencube.com. Make sure to show her some love and pick up her book when it launches on February 14th, 2021!

This week, we are joined by Kassandra Kernisan, who is a certified Kemetic Yoga Instructor, Naturopath, Apprentice Traditional Healer and Kem Initiate, Entrepreneur and Speaker. During this episode, we speak in depth about the disconnect that many in the African diaspora often feel when it comes to understanding their roots. We speak about Kassandra's shift from the corporate world to the world of wellness, dealing with her parent's resistance to her life plans, her own personal journey with reconnecting with her roots, and what she has learned about wellness and healing along this journey. We also talk about the interconnectedness of spirituality, healing, and nature, how colonialism has led many of us to reject the healing practices that have historically been part of our ancestry. We also speak about Kemetic yoga, what it is, and how it can also be used as a tool for us to reconnect with ourselves and our ancestral roots. Lastly, we speak about her community work directed towards Black youth and the initiatives underway with various organizations to level the playing field and encourage diversity, inclusion, and equity for these individuals.

Trigger warning: This episode includes discussions of reproductive and sexual trauma, as well as conversations around slavery and racism. 

This week, we are joined by Saran James-Vaughan, who is a Holistic Nutritionist and Reproductive Wellness Facilitator.  During this episode, the two of us had an in-depth conversation around reproductive and health and wellness, particularly related to the Black community. We discuss the stigma behind reproductive health and our tendency to ignore signs until they have become severe. We also talk about our tendency to mirror our ancestors when it comes to our attitude towards self-care, and how our generation may be perpetuating many cycles are no longer required and that no longer serve us any longer. Lastly, we speak about sexual health, its link to racism and slavery, and the conditions that need to be in place to repair one's relationship with their own body and to encourage safety when it comes to sexuality. To keep up with Saran, follow her IG @wellness_by_saran & check our her website: wellnessbysaran.com.

This week, we are joined by Lashawna Phillips, who is the founder of Nurture with Botanics, which is a company focused on providing resources, products, and guidance for individuals to develop their own unique journeys to intentional living with botanics. We cover a variety of topics during our conversation, including Lashawna's own wellness journey, how and why she started Nurture with Botanics, the importance of living with intention, overcoming fears and self-doubt, the lessons we've both learned as new entrepreneurs, her personal favourite botanics, and information about her latest product launch (hint: it's perfect for the fall)! You can keep up with Lashawna & Nurture with Botanics at their instagram page, @nurturewithbotanics, as well as on their website, www.nurturewithbotanics.com.

This week, we're joined by Taty Cokley, who is an influencer, beauty guru, and entrepreneur whose content focuses on killer beauty looks, the hottest fashion trends, and most importantly, female empowerment. In this episode, we speak about Taty's experience with anxiety, mental health, and trauma. As part of our discussion, we covered a variety of topics, including the general lack of understanding around the severity of anxiety; her own personal journey with anxiety and how she has learned to cope with it; why it's important to heal our 'inner child'; her advice for those looking to work through their own mental health challenges; the different ways that understanding our emotions can help us foster better relationships with others; and Taty's personal definition of self-love and self-care. To keep up with Taty, check her out on Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok at @tatycokley! 

This week, we're joined by Meenakshi Sharma, who is a mom, blogger, radio host, and founder of The Lotus Movement - a mental health movement focused on demystifying the stigma associated with mental health specifically within the South Asian community. In this episode, we discuss her motivations for starting The Lotus Movement; the cultural stigma that exists around mental health; the tougher & less glamorous side of entrepreneurship; why its important to care about mental health, even when it isn't impacting you directly; breaking the cycle of shame around mental health, and the one thing that she wants her daughters to know about navigating the world. To stay up to date with Meenakshi, make sure to follow both her personal account, @mamauntoldthoughts, as well as The Lotus Movement @the_lotus_movement!

TW: This episode includes discussions around self-harm. 

This week's podcast guest is Helen Garcia, who is a vulnerable friend, graduate student, musician, social worker, and host of podcast "Who You Needed", where she talks to friends and leading thought leaders about how to lead with radical introspection and vulnerability. During our discussion, we discuss her family's journey from the Philippines to LA during her early childhood & her first encounters with trauma as a child; how her early childhood experiences shaped her views of the family structure, work ethic, and the world around her; how being an immigrant, the eldest sibling, and highly ambitious have prevented her from showing vulnerability in friendships and relationships; her experience with self-harm and the underlying reasons why she turned to it during hard times; how emotions were handled in her household growing up; and taking ownership over your own narrative and choosing not to let your past define your future.  

The Culture Meets Wellness podcast is finally back! In our first episode following our brief pause, we are joined by Jennifer Okolo, who is an Occupational Therapist and founder of She Aspires UK, which is a brand that encourages young females to write and interact on a series of real-world issues that affect them. In our discussion, we talk about why it's important to be transparent about the struggles on our journeys to success, the mental health stigma, the unexpected ways in which we can all be impacted by mental health & why we should care about it, how not seeing herself represented in the mental health and medical industries inspired her to pursue her career as an Occupational Therapist, the different ways that racism is present in the mental health and medical industries, and her personal tips for those looking to break the stigma and prioritize their mental health. 

This week we are joined by Queeny Kuffour, who is a Ghanaian actress, youtuber, and content creator currently based in Toronto. In this episode, we discuss her experience with moving to LA for acting school, the hurdles associated with being a youtuber and trying to make it as a Black actress in Canadian media, her Ghanaian cultural background & the degree to which she feels connected to it, her thoughts on wellness and how it is viewed within the Black community, and how she deals with the mental toll of being a figure within the public and online space. To find out more about Queeny, follow her on Instagram @queenykaay, and check out her Youtube Channel, Queeny Kaay. 

This week's guest is Nadine Yousif, who is an award nominated Iraqi-Canadian journalist who currently writes for Macleans and has previously written for The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. During this episode, we discuss Nadine's experience as a racialized woman in the Canadian journalism industry, the various hurdles that she has had to overcome in her career thus far, and how her experience has changed given the current focus on anti-racism. We also discuss her journey towards accepting her background as an Iraqi woman, embracing her cultural roots, and her family's attitude towards wellness growing up. Lastly, we discuss how learning to cook traditional Iraqi meals has served as a self-care tool for Nadine and allowed her to feel more connected to her culture. To learn more about Nadine and what she is currently up to, follow her on her Twitter, @nadineyousif_.