Culture Meets Wellness

This week, we are joined by Marci Gray, who is a Psychotherapist and Social worker who founded her own private practice, Gray Matter Health. In light of current events, we invited Marci to discuss all things racial trauma, including what it actually is, some practical examples of what racial trauma can look like in different people, her thoughts on the mental health impacts that the increased focus on police brutality has had on Black folks, her advice on how Black folks can engage in social justice work without getting drained/burned out, and how we can begin to heal from racial trauma given that it is ongoing. To find out more about Marci Gray and her work, check out her website https://www.graymatterhealth.com/, or follow her on Instagram @graymatterhealth. 

At the time of this podcast, North America is seeing a large number of resistance uprisings in response to the continued police violence against Black people. In light of these events, this week, we are joined by Reakash Walters to talk about anti-Black racism in the U.S. and Canada. Reakash is a community organizer and articling student who works tirelessly to spread awareness about anti-Black racism here in Canada and to spark change within her field. In this podcast episode, we cover a variety of topics, including Reakash's work in the legal field and career ambitions, how she personally feels about the recent increase in attention that the Black Lives Matter movement has gotten, the existence of anti-Black Racism and police brutality in Canada, our thoughts on 'Black Out Tuesday', how we feel about white and non-Black POC friends/companies suddenly reaching out to us, and whether her self-care routine has been impacted by recent events. For additional information about police brutality in Canada, check out the following resources and articles provided by Reakash: https://www.blmyeg.com/news/defund-eps-letter-template & https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform-custom/deadly-force & https://www.pyriscence.ca/home/2020/5/29/cdnpolice. You can also follow her on twitter at @Reakash.

In this episode, we are joined by Sydnee Burgess, who works in the medical field as a clinician and is a yoga teacher based in Ottawa. As part of our discussion, we talk music, mind-body connection, her career and cultural background, as well as her perspective on and experience with wellness. 

This week, we are joined by Domanique Grant, who is a singer, songwriter, creator, and entrepreneur who was born and raised in Toronto. During our discussion, we talk about how she became a singer-songwriter, the time she spent living in Uganda and how it changed her overall mindset, the degree to which she feels connected to her Carribbean background, developing an awareness for our privilege, and how wellness & mindfulness can help with battling fear and developing the self-confidence to go after the life you deserve, even when society tells you that your dreams are 'too big', and when we consider the existence of systemic racism. 

This week's guest is Charysse Griffith-Rowley, who is currently a university student who was born and raised in Canada, but is from Trinidad. We talk about a wide variety of topics, including how she bought her first house/investment property, her business and entrepreneurial ambitions, her passions for spreading awareness about personal finance and social justice, her journey towards learning about her West Indian culture, black women and the pressure to care for others before ourselves, and the importance of positive affirmations and why she is so passionate about incorporating them into her life.

In this week's episode, we are joined by Stacey Karuhanga, who is from Uganda and moved to Canada for university. Currently, she works in the mental health field as a psychotherapist and has a passion for working with children. During our conversation, we talk about how she got into the mental health field and what her career has been like thus far, why she is passionate about teaching children about mental health early, her experience with moving to Canada as an international student, the different challenges that many international students face as it relates to mental health, and the different wellness and self-care activities that Stacey partakes in.

Culture Meets Wellness by Anona Wellness is a weekly podcast that features discussions about wellness and mental health amongst immigrants and people of colour, with an overall goal of reducing stigmas associated with the topics. To help facilitate these discussions, we are joined by individuals from all walks of life who each share one thing in common - they are people of colour and/or immigrants. From university students to psychotherapists to industrial designers to CEOs, each of these guests have had some sort of experience with wellness and each of these individuals have had that experience impacted by their cultural background. Tune in every Sunday for a brand new discussion with a brand new guest, and make sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @anonawellness.

This week, we are joined by Vivian Kaye, who is an entrepreneur, mentor, and key note speaker who is known for founding the seven-figure company, KinkyCurlyYaki. In this episode, we discuss how she was able to create and run two successful businesses, her advice for those looking to take the leap, how the Ghanaian values she was raised with impacted her perspective on mental health, and the hard lessons she has learned about the importance of wellness as an immigrant, single mother, and entrepreneur. 

In this week's episode of the Culture Meets Wellness podcast (formerly known as the Anona Wellness podcast), we are joined by Ro and her adorable son Lincoln. During this episode, we discuss how and why she opened her own yoga studio, her experience with post-partum depression and how it helped her discover yoga, how she takes care of herself as an entrepreneur and as a mother, and our personal experiences with the lack of representation in the yoga industry. To find out more about Ro and her studio, follow her personal Instagram page @wildroga!

For our eleventh episode, we are joined by Igho Diana, who is a Nigerian poet, speaker, community educator, and Wellness Consultant. During our discussion, we talk about how her wellness journey started with taking care of her hair, reasons why prioritizing yourself before others isn't selfish, what she did when her wellness beliefs contradicted her family's, her recommendations for those who want to explore wellness but are worried about being judged for it, and her personal tips for integrating self-care in a way that's personalized to you, especially as we all social distance for COVID-19. 

For more information about Igho, check out her Instagram page @egoinitiative and website www.ebonygirlsobsession.ca.