grownwoman

What if the simplest way to improve your health is to return to the rhythms of nature? In this segment of GrownWoman, food justice advocate Asha Walker shares how ancestral wisdom, circadian rhythms, and intentional nourishment can radically change the way we eat, heal, and live. From fasting with the sun to reclaiming cultural food traditions, Asha offers a grounded, holistic approach to wellness—rooted in science, heritage, and personal power.

GUEST RESOURCES 

Asha Walker

Websites | ashawalkerwellness.com | healthinthehood.org

IG | @ashawalkerwellness

RESOURCES 

Shannon Allen 

Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/ 

IG | @shannonwalkerallen/ 

🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More

🔗 Visit the Grown Website Grown.org

📲 Follow Shannon on Instagram@shannonwalkerallen/ 

🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform.

grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network 

On today’s episode, Shannon sits down with Asha Walker, CEO and founder of Health in the Hood and creator of the Cured wellness app, for an eye-opening and deeply personal conversation on wellness, equity, and the power of food to heal both body and community.

From transforming blighted lots into vibrant community gardens to building a tech platform for holistic healing, Asha walks us through her journey as a “grownwoman” on a mission. She shares how her father's legacy sparked her purpose, how food deserts are failing our kids, and how healing is rooted in access, ancestry, and awareness.

Together, they explore:

The truth about food deserts and nutrition inequality

How growing your own food changes everything

Practical wellness strategies for gut health, longevity, and energy

The power of community and generational healing

The origin story behind Cured by Asha Walker

✨ This episode is more than a wellness talk – it's a blueprint for personal and community transformation.

KEY POINTS 

[00:00] - Introduction

[0:58] – How Asha’s father sparked her lifelong mission for food justice and community farming.

[1:47] – On transforming trash-filled vacant lots into thriving community vegetable gardens.

[5:44] – What a “food desert” really is

[10:23] –Funding cuts leave hundreds of Miami families without consistent access to healthy food.

[16:16] – Hunger vs. food insecurity: why access to cheap, processed food isn’t true nourishment.

[17:54] – The link between glucose spikes, inflammation, and preventable chronic diseases.

[21:10] – Inside Asha’s Cured App: personalized wellness, nutrition, gut health, and more. 

[41:12] – Asha’s big vision: community gardens in every food desert across the U.S.

QUOTES 

“Wellness is a human right.” – Asha Walker

“We don’t have a health care system — we have a sick care system.”  – Asha Walker

"We go into a community; and we get land donated, so we don't pay for any of our land. It's all given to us for free." – Asha Walker

"Wellness is not restriction. One more time. Wellness is not a restriction… It's supplementation, not supplements. It's supplementing your life. It's adding more goodness to your life." – Asha Walker

[megaphone] 

GUEST RESOURCES 

Asha Walker

Websites | ashawalkerwellness.com | healthinthehood.org

IG | @ashawalkerwellness

RESOURCES 

Shannon Allen 

Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/ 

IG | @shannonwalkerallen/ 

🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More

🔗 Visit the Grown Website Grown.org

📲 Follow Shannon on Instagram@shannonwalkerallen/ 

🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform.

grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network 

[youtube] 

GUEST RESOURCES 

Asha Walker

Websites | https://www.ashawalkerwellness.com/ | https://www.healthinthehood.org/ 

IG | https://www.instagram.com/ashawalkerwellness/ 

RESOURCES 

Shannon Allen 

Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/ 

IG | https://www.instagram.com/shannonwalkerallen/ 

🔗 Visit the Grown Website https://www.grown.org 

📲 Follow Shannon on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/shannonwalkerallen/ 

🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform.

grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network - https://www.epyc.co/ 

🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More

In this grownwoman segment, Jessica Cristobal breaks down the myth that women must choose between family, purpose, and ambition. From pausing her career after becoming a mother to building Leading Ladies League into a traveling movement, Jessica shares how seasons of life demand different versions of leadership. This conversation reframes support roles as real power, honors women as CEOs of households, and reminds us that growth is not linear and neither is purpose.

If you’ve ever felt pressure to be everything at once or questioned when it’s time to pivot, this episode is a grounded reminder that evolving is not quitting. It’s becoming.

GUEST RESOURCES 

Jessica Cristobal

IG | @jessicacristobalofficial

RESOURCES 

Shannon Allen 

Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/ 

IG | @shannonwalkerallen

🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More

🔗 Visit the Grown Website Grown.org

📲 Follow Shannon on Instagram@shannonwalkerallen

🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform.

grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network

Jessica Cristobal is no stranger to leadership, resilience, and reinvention. From growing up in a military family to becoming the First Lady of University of Miami Canes Football, Jessica has worn many hats: mother, entrepreneur, pageant queen, and founder of the Leading Ladies League. 

In this powerful episode of grownwoman, Jessica opens up about what it means to build a life rooted in service, sisterhood, and faith. She shares how her mother modeled grace and leadership as a military wife, how she stepped away from a corporate career to build something with more purpose, and why empowering women is her life’s mission. 

Whether she’s mentoring foster youth or showing up for student athletes, Jessica leads with heart. Her story is a masterclass in saying yes to what scares you, showing up as your authentic self, and turning every season of life into a platform for impact.

KEY POINTS 

[0:00] Jessica’s story of being born to a military family in Germany

[7:00] Her parents on instilling leadership, faith, and love across cultures and communities.

[11:50] Her early career in corporate America sparked her entrepreneurial drive.

[15:38] Leading Ladies League was born from a simple dinner with powerhouse women 

[19:27] Jessica on relaunching her mission to empower women globally.

[24:58] Competing as Mrs. Florida International 2025 was a divine “say yes” moment 

[32:44] Her success principles: Say yes, show up as your best self. 

[44:24] On leadership and love at the University of Miami’s Football. 

QUOTES 

“Authenticity is the closest thing to perfection.” – Jessica Cristobal

“Say yes… even if it scares you. The thing that gives you butterflies is what you’re meant to do.” – Jessica Cristobal

“Your attitude determines your altitude. Enthusiasm is your currency.” – Jessica Cristobal

“Hopelessness breeds tyranny; but hope, faith, and purpose breed leadership.” – Shannon Allen

GUEST RESOURCES 

Jessica Cristobal

IG | @jessicacristobalofficial

RESOURCES 

Shannon Allen 

Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/ 

IG | @shannonwalkerallen

🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More

🔗 Visit the Grown Website Grown.org

📲 Follow Shannon on Instagram@shannonwalkerallen

🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform.

grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network 

How do we parent high-performing kids without breaking them? In this heartfelt conversation, Zana White and Fahim Mujahid share lessons from raising student-athletes — and the emotional weight that comes with being both parent and cheerleader. From sideline pressure to unshakable belief, this segment dives into the power of support, love, and letting our kids find their own voices.

GUEST RESOURCES 

Faheem Mujahid

IG: @faheemamujahid 

Dr. Zana White

IG: @zanawhite

RESOURCES 

Shannon Allen 

Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/ 

IG | @shannonwalkerallen

🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More

🔗 Visit the Grown Website Grown.org

📲 Follow Shannon on Instagram@shannonwalkerallen

🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform.

grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network 

In this powerful and heartfelt episode of grownwoman, Shannon Allen welcomes health and wellness coaches Dr. Zana White and Faheem Mujahid to unpack the mental and emotional aspects of sports -  not just for professional athletes, but also for student-athletes, parents, and families supporting them.

Zana, a hypnotist and mother of elite athletes, shares how she discovered the transformative power of subconscious work after helping her son break through performance anxiety using hypnosis. Faheem, a former football player turned mental performance coach, opens up about his personal journey with grief, identity, and finding purpose beyond physical movement.

Together, they explore how hypnosis can unlock peak performance by rewiring limiting beliefs, why sports parents must lead with love instead of pressure, and how to help young athletes detach their identity from outcomes. They also emphasize the importance of healing internal voices, especially the ones passed down from our parents.

⚠️ DISCLAIMER: This episode includes discussions around grief, loss, and performance anxiety. Viewer discretion is advised.

KEY POINTS 

[1:35] – The difference between encouraging support vs. deflating pressure for kids in sports

[2:32] – Faheem’s journey from football and grief to discovering purpose in mental performance coaching

[12:07] – Why athletes “slump”: the psychology behind overthinking, fear, and mental blocks

[14:26] – How hypnosis rapidly transformed Zana’s son’s performance and confidence

[17:38] – Conscious vs. subconscious mind: where real performance issues actually live

[21:17] – Becoming your own biggest supporter instead of relying on external validation

[44:37] – The #1 rule for sports parents: stay mom first—home must be a safe landing place

[49:31] – The power of audacious belief: why unconditional support builds unstoppable confidence

[59:29] – Teaching kids resilience: short memory, bounce back fast, keep moving forward

QUOTES 

"If I removed your ability to do, who would you be?"- Faheem Mujahid

"What hypnosis is... is getting to your unconscious mind, where the greater part of you is… 97.95% of us is unconscious—our mental processes, our decisions, our emotions, our traumas, every learned experience we have is stored in our unconscious mind." – Dr. Zana White

"I often think that it's through your own experience that sometimes you stumble upon your own purpose." – Faheem Mujahid

"I am in the human being work, right? They just happen to be pro athletes or collegiate athletes. And I always say, if you get the human right, the athlete takes care of itself." – Faheem Mujahid

[megaphone] 

GUEST RESOURCES 

Faheem Mujahid

IG: @faheemamujahid 

Dr. Zana White

IG: @zanawhite

RESOURCES 

Shannon Allen 

Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/ 

IG | @shannonwalkerallen

🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More

🔗 Visit the Grown Website Grown.org

📲 Follow Shannon on Instagram@shannonwalkerallen

🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform.

grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network 

[youtube] 

GUEST RESOURCES 

Faheem Mujahid

IG: IG:https://www.instagram.com/faheemamujahid/  

Dr. Zana White

IG: https://www.instagram.com/zanawhite/ 

RESOURCES 

Shannon Allen 

Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/ 

IG | https://www.instagram.com/shannonwalkerallen/ 

🔗 Visit the Grown Website https://www.grown.org 

📲 Follow Shannon on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/shannonwalkerallen/ 

🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform.

grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network - https://www.epyc.co/ 

🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More

Peace Love World founder Alina Villasante shares how her journey into fashion began not in a boardroom, but in her living room, with a simple love party, a DIY T-shirt, and no formal plan. What started as a gathering of girlfriends evolved into a global brand worn by celebrities, championed by the Miami Heat, and rooted in empowerment, empathy, and family. In this inspiring segment, Alina opens up about building something from nothing, staying grounded through wild success, and creating from the heart.

GUEST RESOURCES 

Alina Villasante

IG | @peacelovealina

RESOURCES 

Shannon Allen 

Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/ 

IG | @shannonwalkerallen

🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More

🔗 Visit the Grown Website Grown.org

📲 Follow Shannon on Instagram@shannonwalkerallen

🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform.

grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network 

On today’s episode of grownwoman, fashion entrepreneur Alina Villasante opens up about the unseen battles behind her billion-dollar brand, Peace Love World. From her early days in aviation to launching one of the most iconic feel-good fashion labels, Alina shares with Shannon how she pivoted her business during the retail collapse, survived a toxic partnership, and ultimately saved her company with a $24M QVC deal. But the real story lies in her resilience – rooted in love, faith, and reinvention.

This episode is a masterclass in feminine leadership, one that evolves through failure and remains rooted in purpose. Whether you’re a fashion lover, entrepreneur, or woman navigating your next chapter, this conversation will leave you inspired to pivot, persevere, and claim your power.

KEY POINTS 

[00:00] Introduction

[4:47] From aviation to fashion: how Peace Love World began

[11:28] On creating a brand rooted in love and authenticity

[18:58] Alina on walking away from toxic partnerships

[21:13] The $24M QVC deal that saved her brand

[24:12] Embracing growth: evolving after 50 and still breaking records

[27:32] Her journey as a founder, mother, grandmother, and grownwoman

QUOTES 

“You want something done? Ask a busy woman, period.” – Alina Villasante

“So I am peace, I am love, I am happiness, I am blessed, and then I am chaos. Because…yeah, you know that's my normal, right?” – Alina Villasante

“You don’t work for money. Money is a reward of what you do. And sometimes there’s no reward.” – Alina Villasante

GUEST RESOURCES 

Alina Villasante

IG | @peacelovealina

RESOURCES 

Shannon Allen 

Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/ 

IG | @shannonwalkerallen

🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More

🔗 Visit the Grown Website Grown.org

📲 Follow Shannon on Instagram@shannonwalkerallen

🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform.

grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network 

When Happy and Sean Perry lost their son D’Sean Perry to a campus shooting, their world shattered. In this powerful segment, they recount the moment they got the call, the hours of silence that followed, and how they’re navigating unimaginable grief. But through their heartbreak, they found purpose honoring their son’s life through action and legacy. This is a story about love, loss, and the long road of healing.

GUEST RESOURCES 

Perry’s Foundation 

Website | dseanspiritofcavaliers.square.site

John Onwuchekwa 

Website | johno.co 

IG | @jawn_o

RESOURCES 

Shannon Allen 

Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/ 

IG | @shannonwalkerallen

🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More

🔗 Visit the Grown Website Grown.org

📲 Follow Shannon on Instagram@shannonwalkerallen

🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform.

grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network

In this heartbreaking and powerful episode of grownwoman, host Shannon Allen sits down with Happy and Sean Perry, the parents of D'Sean Perry - a gifted artist, Division 1 athlete, and victim of the tragic UVA shooting. Together with Dr. John Onwuchekwa, they open up about D'Sean Perry’s brilliant mind, beautiful spirit, and the deep grief that followed his devastating loss.

From daily 10 am prayer calls to his passion for ceramics and sketchbooks filled with untold stories, D'Sean Perry’s legacy lives on through art, activism, and the D'Sean Emir Perry Spirit of the Cavaliers Foundation.

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions about gun violence, trauma, and loss. Viewer discretion is advised.

KEY POINTS 

[0:00] Introduction

[1:08] D'Sean’s parents share early memories - a gifted athlete and brilliant artist in one.

[4:18] D'Sean’s passion for art deepens at UVA, where he majors in visual arts.

[10:18] His artwork becomes his language: ceramics, pastels, sketchbooks, and self-portraits.

[13:14] The last phone call: nightly “10 p.m.” ritual of checking in and prayer.

[19:07] The moment every parent fears – finding out their son was killed in the UVA shooting.

[24:47] Processing unimaginable grief through faith, community, and remembering his light.

[34:21] The Perry family’s mission: keeping his legacy alive through the D'Sean Perry Spirit Foundation.

QUOTES 

“Grief is not a journey. Grief is a language we speak.” — Dr. John Onwuchekwa

“We are his voice. His legacy will not die.” — Happy Perry

“Art is essential to healing — it bypasses the defenses of the mind.” — Dr. John Onwuchekwa

GUEST RESOURCES 

Perry’s Foundation 

Website | dseanspiritofcavaliers.square.site

John Onwuchekwa 

Website | johno.co 

IG | @jawn_o

RESOURCES 

Shannon Allen 

Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/ 

IG | @shannonwalkerallen

🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More

🔗 Visit the Grown Website Grown.org

📲 Follow Shannon on Instagram@shannonwalkerallen

🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform.

grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network