This week, Mungi speaks with Dr. Jean Augustine, the first Black woman to be elected to Canada's House of Commons. They discuss Dr. Augustine's life's work consisting of service, advocacy, and activism; and she shares what her experience was like as the first Black woman MP and some of the successes she has had. They also speak about intersectionality and the loneliness that occurs when your identity is not represented. With several institutions named after her, including the Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women's Empowerment, Dr. Augustine speaks about the importance of ensuring that she is a role model for the youth and what she expects of them. The Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women's Empowerment was started in 2014 by Dr. Jean Augustine after seeing a specific need in the community to create a space where young women and girls could thrive and be supported to reach their full potential. The Centre offers virtual STEM activities — including coding, social entrepreneurship, and academic programs for girls aged 7-17.

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Fellow The Brand is Female Podcast Studio host, Shayla Oulette Stonechild joined Mungi this week to discuss her work, the issues affecting Indigenous people today, and reclaiming power.

Shayla is at the forefront of Indigenous women's wellness. Utilizing her skills as a powerful speaker and thought leader, Shayla is the founder of the “Matriarch Movement', a non-profit organization dedicated to highlighting Indigenous voices and providing wellness workshops to BIPOC women across Canada. In this episode, Shayla describes the origin story of Matriarch Movement and how the name came to her in a dream, she discusses how her mother's work had an impact on the work she wanted to do and speaks about her Indigenous women role models. As a television show host and trauma-informed yoga instructor, Shayla offers Mungi an enlightening perspective that comes with being a trauma-informed yoga instructor, as well as how it allows people to reclaim their power.

As a Mètis and Nehiyaw Iskwew (Plains Cree Woman) from Muscowpetung First Nations, Shayla has always been a catalyst for Indigenous youth and women unlocking their full potential. Through her work, Shayla hopes to bring often difficult, yet necessary, Indigenous topics into mainstream conversations. In this conversation, they discuss several of the issues affecting Indigenous communities today that are still commonly overlooked, and how we can return to an Indigenous worldview.

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This week, host Mungi Ngomane is joined by Sinikiwe Stephanie Dhliwayo, a creative, an entrepreneur, an educator, and a speaker who is steadfast in her belief that Blackness and humanity are inextricably linked. She is driven daily by a deep desire to change the narrative of what it looks like and feels like to be well. An immigrant from Zimbabwe, Sinikiwe's work is imbued with Ubuntu and in this episode, she and Mungi discuss the mission of her wellness company, Naaya, as well as how she approaches wellness.

Whether making yoga and meditation accessible to those who need the practice most, or telling stories of marginalized folks through elevated photo and video, Sinikiwe is dedicated to creating a more equitable and just society. In this conversation, Sinikiwe speaks about how she does not believe in a one-size-fits-all wellness practice, focusing instead on asking ourselves: what "brings us joy?" Her work and efforts to make the wellness space more equitable can be found in Beyonce, Byrdie, Dame, Goop, Well and Good, and Refinery29. Her previous teaching and speaking engagements include The Re-Treat, Create and Cultivate, The Wing, Unwell Conference, Lululemon, Goop League, Summit, Faherty Sun Sessions, and Girlvana.

Listen to this episode to hear Sinikiwe share what she lost in the pandemic and what keeps her going in difficult moments. Mungi also highlights Sinikiwe's automatic email response and the two have a conversation about how to balance granting yourself grace in this fast-paced world.

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Today's guest is Dawn Gifford Engle. Dawn is a filmmaker, an activist, and Co-Founder of The PeaceJam Foundation. She has been recognized for excellence in filmmaking, a well-decorated director, Dawn is the recipient of 12 Best Director awards. She wrote and directed the award-winning documentary films, Rigoberta Menchu: Daughter of the Maya, Desmond Tutu: Children of the Light, Adolfo Perez Esquivel: Rivers of Hope, Oscar Arias: Without a Shot Fired, Betty Williams: Contagious Courage, The Dalai Lama -- Scientist, and Shirin Ebadi: Until We Are Free. In addition, she co-authored the book, "PEACEJAM: A Billion Simple Acts of Peace", which was published by Penguin in 2008, and she has been nominated 17 times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The PeaceJam Foundation is creating the next generation of Nobel Peace Laureates, and in this episode, Dawn shares how the foundation came to be, the inspiring projects the youth have created, and what the most rewarding part of her work is. She also speaks about how she feels lucky to have reached her full potential, having started her career as an economist and has since added the titles - activist, author, filmmaker, mother and grandmother to her repertoire. She and Mungi discuss the Nobel laureates that have direct impacts on their lives and the promise of youth looking to bring about peace in our world.

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This week, host Mungi Ngomane is joined by Esméralda de Belgique, journalist, documentary-maker, keynote speaker, and author. Princess Esméralda is a member of the Belgian Royal family and the aunt of the current monarch, King Philippe. Throughout her career, she has co-produced documentaries and written several books about her family, environmental issues, and women Nobel Peace Prize winners. In this episode, HRH speaks to Mungi about the rewarding experience and learnings she got both writing about her family and making documentaries on their history.

Esméralda is an advocate for women's and Indigenous rights, and supporting communities in the Amazon. In October 2019, Esméralda took part in the Extinction Rebellion protests in London where she was arrested and released later without charges. In this conversation, she explains how her father got her involved with Indigenous rights, her environmental work, and the interconnectedness of environmental advocacy and women's rights. Esméralda is very honest about Europe's plundering of resources and exploitation of people on the African continent. She has called for European nations, Belgium included, to confront their colonial past.

To learn more about the two organizations Esméralda spoke about visits www.friendship.ngo and www.herowomenrising.org

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This week, host Mungi Ngomane is joined by Courtney Martin, Activist, Feminist, Author, Entrepreneur, and Journalist. Her book, Learning in Public: Lessons for a Racially-Divided America From my Daughter's School provides lessons that help white parents wondering if it's too early to speak to their young kids about racism—spoiler: it's not. Courtney is also the visionary behind the Substack newsletter, called Examined Family, and she co-founded the Solutions Journalism Network, FRESH Speakers, and the Bay Area chapter of Integrated Schools. Courtney is the Storyteller-in-Residence at The Holding Co, a lab to redesign care for the 21st century. Her work appears frequently in The New York Times and The Washington Post, and you can find her appearances on the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, MSNBC, and The O’Reilly Factor. Courtney also speaks widely at conferences and colleges.

In this episode, Courtney shares how she lives out her activism creatively in her daily life, with information that people wishing to be allies can use, her newsletter, Examined Family, and an article she wrote called, The Reductive Seduction of Other People's Problems, that Mungi highly recommends. To learn more about Courtney and her work visit www.courtneyemartin.com

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This week, host Mungi Ngomane is joined by Dennis Marcus, the Executive Director of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights UK, an educational charity that works to inspire people to make human rights a reality in their everyday lives. Dennis co-founded the social impact agency Ubuntu London, working with leading politicians, global NGOs, and high profile activists, including honouring Nelson Mandela's co-accused Denis Goldberg, Ahmed Kathrada, and Andrew Mlangeni. Dennis also managed Patricia Scotland QC's successful 2015 bid to become the first female Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. He is a member of the Strategic Council of the Patchwork Foundation and the Committee for the Cherry Groce Memorial.

In this episode, Mungi and Dennis discuss his connection to Ubuntu from his youth, and his current project, The World Reimagined, focused on the Transatlantic Slave Trade— how we understand it and how it impacts us all. He also shares a comparison between two of his identities, South African and German, and how both have approached their history.

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This week, host Mungi Ngomane is joined by the one and only Tre'vell Anderson. Tre'vell is an award-winning journalist whose work is dedicated to centering those in the margins. Tre'vell has worked for the LA Times, Out Magazine and is currently Editor-At-Large for Toronto's Xtra. In this episode, Tre'vell and Mungi discuss how they got into entertainment journalism, the possibility models they have looked to for inspiration into how their life could be, and their experience coming up as a non-binary, trans person at an all-male college.

The two also spoke of Tre'vell's podcast, FANTI, where they and co-host Jarrett Hill have nuanced discussions about the things we're fans of, but also have some "anti" feelings towards. Tre'vell speaks about their purpose that revolves around making space for those who are in the margins so they can see themselves reflected back. They also remind us of the importance of showing up as our full selves, especially if we wish to achieve liberation, and highlight how both transphobia and homophobia impact heterosexual-identified and cis-identified people because they reinforce the ways we are told to show up in the world. To learn more about Tre'vell and their work, visit www.trevellanderson.com

Note: The poem Tre'vell read in the episode is "won't you celebrate with me" by Lucille Clifton.

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Meet Zeinab Badawi, Sudanese-born British Television and Radio Journalist. Zeinab has worked extensively in the British media for four decades and is best known for her work at BBC World News TV and on BBC World Service Radio, on programs such as Hard Talk and Global Questions. Zeinab is the current chair of the Royal African Society and a director of the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. She also serves on the advisory boards of the think tanks Afrobarometer and the Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS). Zeinab is a member of the steering committee of the Africa Europe Foundation and a trustee of BBC Media Action. She has produced and presented an acclaimed 20-part TV series on the history of Africa, reporting from over 30 countries across the continent, and speaks to Mungi about how important this project was to her. Listen to this episode to hear how Zeinab got into broadcast journalism and some of the lessons she has learned from the public figures she has interviewed, including the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Thank you to our partners at HarperCollins for their support of today’s episode!

We are all about supporting women on this podcast, and so are the publishers at HarperCollins. They invest in authors who are writing stories about women, for women, and by women. The novel Black Girls Must Die Exhausted is a rare find in the world of women’s fiction. The book’s story is centered around a successful young Black woman who seems to have it all; a great dating life, a beautiful home, and a great job. However, an unexpected fertility crisis puts the protagonist in a tailspin.

If you’re looking for a fall read that examines the experiences of race, contemporary womanhood, and modern relationships, pre-order or pick it up at on-sale, pick up a copy wherever books are sold!

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This week, host Mungi Ngomane is joined by the Founder and Executive Director of Black Women in Motion, Monica Samuel. Black Women in Motion is a Toronto-based, youth-led organization that empowers and supports the advancement of Black women, gender-non-conforming, and non-binary survivors of gender-based violence. Monica is an educator, community builder, social entrepreneur, and DEI consultant whose work over the last 10 years has focused on anti-oppression, equity, mental health, sex positivity, and consent. She is experienced in creating culturally centered spaces for learning, unlearning, and self-expression, giving individuals a soft place to land. Celebrated in Canada as 2019’s Top 100 Black Women to watch, Monica’s dedication and approach to social justice work have created healing, restorative, and economic opportunities for Black youth across the City of Toronto. Black Women in Motion works within an anti-racist, intersectional feminist, trauma-informed, and survivor-centered framework to create culturally relevant resources, healing spaces, educational, and economic opportunities for survivors.

Listen as the two discuss the programming that Black Women in Motion offers, including its Love Offering Fund to help those experiencing insecurity due to Covid-19, as well as the Black Peer Education Network and Black Youth Employment Assistance Program. Monica also shares how the Black community will always be her priority and the center of her work, the lessons she has learned from the global pandemic, and the consensus that as Black women they should not run themselves ragged in the name of social justice.

To learn more about Monica and Black Women in Motion visit blackwomeninmotion.org

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