No Head Podcast

How do you raise a child with congenital abnormalities? Esther Masika’s first born, Tunu, was born with clubfoot and arthrogryposis (AMC). She talks about grieving the normal child she had dreamt of. Our conversation will make you rethink many things you have taken for granted when it comes to bringing up children with congenital abnormalities. Now Esther Masika’s mission is to talk to pregnant women so that they can really listen to their bodies, be present to their pregnancy and ask questions to the doctors.

She is the founder of The Bold One Out, a movement of extraordinary mums raising little angels with extraordinary conditions.

Hebrews 11:1, NASB: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

What better way to start the year by doing a visualisation meditation. In this visualisation meditation we will be expanding our sense of possibility by bringing some consciousness to creating the future we want. We’re already telling ourselves stories about how our life is going to be, but it’s largely unconscious. The idea is to envision, discover and consolidate what 2021 looks like for you. What do you desire? What would you like for yourself and your loved ones? I invite you to this visualisation meditation. Remember there are no limits aside from those you place on yourself.

Maryan is not on social media even though she is just 22. She quit social media five years ago when she was 17 years old as she felt the toxicity of social media on her mental health which led her to feelings of inadequacy. She never felt worthy of sharing her photos on social media. She feels that social media is  always making us seek the best version of ourselves and even when we think we have achieved that perfection, we never really feel fulfilled. That was her experience that has made her such a wise soul at her age!

Are you passive-aggressive? Is that your default mode? Listen to my guest, Cliff Kinyua share about getting out of our heads so we are able to reframe things for ourselves and the meaning we are attaching to what society has conditioned us to believe. If that means seeing a a therapist to help you navigate life, then so be it... Cliff also talks about being deliberate in the choices we make and the importance of choosing a growth mindset. He talks about his organisation and the importance of having the right corporate culture that values employees above everything else. He shares about how Covid-19 has highlighted the importance of compassion and kindness in the work environment.

I am just from Rwanda spending time gorilla trekking and the gorillas reminded me of open presence and curiosity and so today I will lead us with this meditation.

The impact of post-election violence on co-existence amongst the youth clearly affects Jeremy and plunges him into more drinking. Through Jeremy’s struggles with addiction we learn about the enduring love of a mother who never gives up on her son as well as a son’s longing for his father’s love and acceptance. Even through his addiction you will be surprised by Jeremy’s clarity of thought. He felt that he had lost a lot of time with his addiction and continuously interrogated what he needed to do with his life. After rehab, he goes back to school and is now a qualified chef. However the pervasiveness of death continues in Jeremy’s life and at the beginning of Covid-19 his father passes away. Luckily he had made peace with his father who was relieved to finally see that his son had found purpose in life. Jeremy recognises that life is short and it’s never too late to turn and say enough is enough. Jeremy’s story is about overcoming and he is using his story to help others overcome their addictions and take care of their mental health. A big shout out to his friend, simply known as Andrew, who has stood by him and continues to be there for him. We all need people who will never give up on us…..

What happens to you when you witness your 7-year old sister knocked down and run over by a van just as you both have alighted from the school bus? You’re only 11 years old...and she dies on the spot? That’s when the darkness in Jeremy’s  life began…. He is my guest on this episode and we are seated in my study....It's a bit noisy outside but we get lost in conversation as Jeremy shares his personal story of trauma and addiction. For 15 years he has been at rehab 3 times and the 3rd time he made it. He has been sober for 8 years now and is passionate about helping people stop their addictions. This is a story about creating coping mechanisms for adults and children and the importance of being present for our children. There are so many nuggets that will get you thinking about how to show up for those you love. May you have non-judgmental compassion for yourself and others who struggle with addictions of any kind ….

My guest today is Patricia Okelo, author of “A Candid Handbook for Women Doing Business in Kenya”, founder of Circles for women in Business, co-founder of Kayana, founder of Conferencing-In-A-Box and owner of Willart Production Ltd, mother, entrepreneur, change maker. She is passionate about helping women to live their purpose and work on their latent ideas.  Pat talks about her journey as an entrepreneur.  It's all about being intentional in everything we do and using opportunities to create businesses. She carried out a survey and found out that fear of failure is what stops many women from venturing into anything new. Pat believes that we must be willing to embrace failure if we are to succeed. We need to turn failures into lessons. Everything in life is a lesson!

If you don’t deal with your insecurities they will show up in your adult life in ways you may not want them to. My guest today is the soft-spoken David Muthami - Emmy nominated music and multiple award winning producer who has worked with the likes of Rodney Jerkins, a wonderful husband and father and an all-round amazing human being. Hear David’s story on what it takes to kill the narcissist in all of us and overcome our childhood traumas. Don’t allow others treatment of you to define who you are…Maturity is allowing yourself to decide who you become in spite of your experiences and not letting experiences determine who you become. You decide who you become; you decide what your character will become. On parenting, letting your children be who they are and not live your dreams through them. Your role as a parent is to prepare your children to become who they will become.

Emmy nominated artist Sara Mitaru,  songwriter, musician is my guest today.  In this episode she shares about how Covid-19 has affected creatives like her and her struggles at the beginning of the pandemic..  Two lessons she has learnt: learn to raise your hand when drowning so that others can see and show up for you and secondly change your mindset. Mindsets are changed by a difficult situation or suffering.  On mindset change, she emphasises that if we remain rigid we will never learn: there’s always something on the other side. Her advice is for us to open our view of life.  What happens in your life can only make you stronger and better. Our responsibility in life is to carry forward the humanity and empathy that others have shown us.