Writing is about listening. Connecting and tuning in. All of this enables the words to come through the body. 

 

“When we only move from the logical mind and we don’t move from the body mind and the heart mind, and we don’t integrate these different parts of ourselves, then it can feel like it’s [writing] taking and not also nourishing us.” 

 

What an incredibly special episode to close the season and the show on. The wisdom and generosity that Toni brings to this episode around the power of language through her embodiment as a listener who listens through writing, poems, and the earth - for the stories that help us remember our power and our magic, is precious and invaluable.

 

Toni Giselle Stuart works as a poet, performer, creative writing facilitator & healer. Her work includes Krotoa-Eva’s Suite – a cape jazz poem in three movements with filmmaker Kurt Orderson; Poetry, Paramedics and Film with filmmaker/health researcher Leanne Brady (2018); What the Water Remembers at Woordfees (2020); forgetting. and memory with vangile gantsho & Vusumzi Ngxande, at the Virtual National Arts Festival (2020). She has an MA Writer/Teacher (distinction) from Goldsmiths, University of London, where she was a 2014/2015 Chevening Scholar.

 

Mentions:

Connect with Toni

Website: https://tonistuart.com/

IG: @tonigiselle_official

Email: [email protected]

Dot Dot Dot Dance: https://www.dotdotdotdance.com/

Anis Mojgani: Shake the dust

Badilisha Poetry Festival

D'bi Young: Rivers and Other Blackness Between Us

Gabeba Baderoon

Shine Lulu Kitololo Business course for creatives: http://www.lulukitololo.com

Speculative fiction trilogy and verse

In bloom: Poetry with time on the land

The Writers Oasis: https://tonistuart.com/the-writers-oasis

Rah Nomvula Busby of Divine Lotus

Waatlemoen konfyt: Watermelon preserve

In Bloom: https://tonistuart.com/_____in-bloom

Cairn = A pile of stones or rocks intentionally piled up one on top of the other as ways to show the path

 

Connect with us:

Ama Rouge Website: www.wearewildwithin.com

IG: @powerup.podcast @ama.rouge @wearewildwithin 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ama-rouge-870b60138

FB: AmaRougemoves

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Ella Mesma Website: www.ellamesma.co.uk, www.mayagandaia.com, 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-mesma-b6071320/

IG: @powerup.podcast @Ellamesma 

FB:@EllaMesma 

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Music by Tomo Carter IG: @tomocarter

 

Everything else brought to you by us, the PowerUp! power team

‘Language can be many different things…allow it to be those.’

 

Language is a vehicle for communication and for expression. How does it equip and support us? How does it get in our way? Deep dive with us and Nkem Ndefo, founder of Lumos Transforms and creator of The Resilience Toolkit, as we unpack the power of language. You’re not ready for this one!

 

Nkem Ndefo, MSN, CNM, RN, is the founder of Lumos Transforms and creator of The Resilience Toolkit, a model that promotes embodied self-awareness and self-regulation in an ecologically sensitive framework and social justice context. She is known for her unique ability to connect with people of all types by holding powerful healing spaces, weaving complex concepts into accessible narratives, and creating synergistic and collaborative learning communities that nourish people’s innate capacity for healing, wellness, and connection. Originally licensed as a nurse midwife, Nkem has extensive post-graduate training in complementary health modalities and emotional therapies and has worked in settings ranging from large-volume hospitals to mobile community clinics. She brings an abundance of experience as a clinician, educator, researcher, and community strategist to innovative programs that address trauma and inequity, build resilience, and shape liberatory change for individuals and organizations across sectors, both in her home country (US) and internationally. She regularly provides trauma-informed subject matter expertise to organizations, initiatives, and governmental agencies. Nkem is particularly interested in working alongside people most impacted by violence and marginalization. Most recently, she led a multi-year embodied diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism initiative for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

 

Mentions:

Connect with Nkem

Website: lumostransforms.com

IG: @nkemndefo @lumos_transforms

Nervous System PUP! episodes:

Ep 42: Building a Flexible Nervous System with Ama Rouge and Ella Mesma https://open.spotify.com/episode/0HChaGu0JxQpQI7mMq2VLc?si=78897fbbfebb4580

Ep 43: Regulating my Nervous System Changed my Life with Anastasia Ttofis https://open.spotify.com/episode/5SdliYzbeXw9sTOtrL72oH?si=f5abe68c47be4cd8

Em 44: The Human Experience of Relating to What Shows Up with Martha Cuffy

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ZyecTSdljdVOKEQK2xUFY?si=2d9ecce467204ed1

Ep 64: How About we Evolve? with Akeim Toussaint Buck

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4RjxD511ds0PysPfcNj9xE?si=1b48a5a4dd074c8a

Connect with us:

Ama Rouge Website: www.wearewildwithin.com

IG: @powerup.podcast @ama.rouge @wearewildwithin 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ama-rouge-870b60138

FB: AmaRougemoves

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Ella Mesma Website: www.ellamesma.co.uk, www.mayagandaia.com, 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-mesma-b6071320/

IG: @powerup.podcast @Ellamesma 

FB:@EllaMesma 

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Music by Tomo Carter IG: @tomocarter

 

Everything else brought to you by us, the PowerUp! power team

We want to empower you to choose whether you listen to this episode or not, and let you know that in this episode slavery is mentioned. If you are affected by anything discussed in this episode, we have provided links to organisations you may find helpful at the bottom of these show notes.

 

The mightiness of this episode is next level! Join us as we talk with Safiya about the power that language carries - through the lens of her debut poetry collection Cane, Corn & Gully, ancestry, dance and poetry.

 

A powerful & passionate choreo-poet who is just getting started. Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa is a British born Barbadian raised choreo-poet and PhD student at the University of Leeds in Cultural Studies. Her interdisciplinary art braids dance and poetry on the page and stage. She is an Obsidian Foundation fellow and an Apples & Snakes/ Jerwood Arts Poetry in Performance recipient. Her work has appeared in a variety of journals including Poetry London, Poetry Review and Wasafiri. Safiya is also a national and international spoken word champion and came third place in The London Magazine Poetry Prize (2022).

 

Mentions:

Connect with Safiya: 

Website: https://www.safiyakamaria.com/

IG: @safiyakamaria

Buy Cane, Corn and Gully: https://www.safiyakamaria.com/product-page/cane-corn-gully

Hair & MUA, Consultant - Kamanza IG: @kamanzaa

Labanotation: Graphic notation for dance/dance scores

The Kamaria technique

Ep 41: We Move in Circles with Thomas "Talawa" Presto https://open.spotify.com/episode/1549ahF6J5dojFC35OvC3i?si=daff6659ad68482e

Poem read: Speightstown Is Such a Darling Place

 

Connect with us:

Ama Rouge Website: www.wearewildwithin.com

IG: @powerup.podcast @ama.rouge @wearewildwithin 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ama-rouge-870b60138

FB: AmaRougemoves

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Ella Mesma Website: www.ellamesma.co.uk, www.mayagandaia.com, 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-mesma-b6071320/

IG: @powerup.podcast @Ellamesma 

FB:@EllaMesma 

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Music by Tomo Carter IG: @tomocarter

 

Everything else brought to you by us, the PowerUp! power team

 

If you are or have been affected by any of the topics we've discussed in this episode here are some organisations you may find helpful:

 

https://www.blackmindsmatteruk.com/

www.mind.org.uk

https://thenapministry.wordpress.com/

“There is a mental health crisis in the Arts, a workforce at its lowest ever point psychologically, and a lack of support available for those who need it most”. Wellbeing in the Arts.

 

How can we work in ways that safeguard our mental health and overall wellbeing? We’re joined by Leah Francis who shares how overworking, and a lack of knowledge around safeguarding within the Arts led her to a breakdown. Since then integrating access needs are a central part of her working practice. Press play and join our conversation.

 

Leah Francis is a theatre maker performer/divisor from Leeds with experience in directing, facilitating, performing, and writing. Her passion lies in creating theatre involving song, movement and spoken word that seeks to empower the community. Leah also has a desire for telling diverse women's stories and in 2013 set up her own Theatre Collective, Speak Woman Speak who performed internationally at Fira B Festival in Mallorca. More recently Leah has completed her MA in performance at Leeds Beckett University with a distinction and has been encouraged to carry on studying and researching for a PhD.

 

Mentions:

Wellbeing in the Arts: https://www.wellbeinginthearts.org.uk

Speak Woman Speak: www.speakwomanspeak.com

Soledad and Betto Douglas

White Walls

Lateisha Davine Lovelace-Hanson: https://www.instagram.com/lateisha_davine/?hl=en

Yayoi Kusama: http://yayoi-kusama.jp/e/information/

Audre Lorde: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/audre-lorde

Bell Hooks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooks

Trisha Hearsey Nap Ministry: https://thenapministry.com/

Bertolt Brecht: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/bertolt-brecht

Bechdel Test: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bechdel_test

 

Connect with us:

Ama Rouge Website: www.wearewildwithin.com

IG: @powerup.podcast @ama.rouge @wearewildwithin 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ama-rouge-870b60138

FB: AmaRougemoves

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Ella Mesma Website: www.ellamesma.co.uk, www.mayagandaia.com, 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-mesma-b6071320/

IG: @powerup.podcast @Ellamesma 

FB:@EllaMesma 

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Music by Tomo Carter IG: @tomocarter

 

Everything else brought to you by us, the PowerUp! power team

 

If you are or have been affected by any of the topics we've discussed in this episode here are some organisations you may find helpful:

 

https://www.blackmindsmatteruk.com/

www.mind.org.uk 

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/abuse/#DomesticAbuseAndViolenceSupportOptions

https://www.wellbeinginthearts.org.uk

Ahmad shares how following his curiosity led to an expanded sense of self and expression. Getting to know your own shook man is personal to you and opens up the way for you to get out of your own way, transmuting your fear into joy. And in Ahmad’s case, improved his mental health. 

 

Ahmad is the creator of SHOOK MAN®, a character who represents our fears & anxieties and is an engaging way for people to talk about their mental health. Ahmad understands people who feel powerless in life - he used to be that way. For 10+ years he studied the best courses on human nature. He has coached hundreds of people around the world and produced podcasts, events, and courses. How are you getting to know your own shook man?

 

Mentions:

Connect with Ahmad: 

Website: www.ahmadjooma.com

IG: @shook.man @ahmad.jooma

Internal family systems: No bad parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model: Dick Schwartz: shorturl.at/mpvy6

Elizabeth Gilbert: Big Love Quote: shorturl.at/rBUY5

Mini book link: www.shookman.com

 

Connect with us:

Ama Rouge Website: www.wearewildwithin.com

IG: @powerup.podcast @ama.rouge @wearewildwithin 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ama-rouge-870b60138

FB: AmaRougemoves

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Ella Mesma Website: www.ellamesma.co.uk, www.mayagandaia.com, 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-mesma-b6071320/

IG: @powerup.podcast @Ellamesma 

FB:@EllaMesma 

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Music by Tomo Carter IG: @tomocarter

 

Everything else brought to you by us, the PowerUp! power team

Join us as we open our series on mental health by speaking about our own mental health and what we’re learning.

 

Mentions:

The 5 Tibetan Rites: https://mayagandaia.com/the-five-tibetan-rites/

Chakras: https://mayagandaia.com/chakras/

Embodied Alchemy: https://mayagandaia.com/embodied-alchemy/

Betterhelp.com

The Self Space: https://theselfspace.com/

TRE: Ep 44 The Human Experience of Relating to What Shows Up with Martha Cuffy https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ZyecTSdljdVOKEQK2xUFY?si=13a38967842548f4

 

Connect with us:

Ama Rouge Website: www.wearewildwithin.com

IG: @powerup.podcast @ama.rouge @wearewildwithin 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ama-rouge-870b60138

FB: AmaRougemoves

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Ella Mesma Website: www.ellamesma.co.uk, www.mayagandaia.com, 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-mesma-b6071320/

IG: @powerup.podcast @Ellamesma 

FB:@EllaMesma 

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Music by Tomo Carter IG: @tomocarter

 

Everything else brought to you by us, the PowerUp! power team

Get comfy and lock in as we talk creativity, revolution and evolution with multifaceted performer and creator Akeim Toussaint Buck. Akeim is an interdisciplinary performer and maker, born in Jamaica and

raised in England. His intention is to create moving, thought provoking, accessible and free-spirited projects calling on multiple art forms to tell the story. Audiences are invited to not just observe they

are implicit in the experience. His work aims to reflect on reality, looking at ongoing socio-

political issues, with a humanitarian intention.

Mentions:

Connect with Akeim:

Website: toussainttomove.com

FB, IG, Twitter: @toussainttomove

 

Element Arts: https://elementdance.co.uk/  

Ecological Beings: https://www.instagram.com/p/CeqUMjgIaLt/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

‘Art is not a mirror to reflect reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.’ Bertolt Brecht

Beverley Thomas episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1rjHZ5Muz1iheyqUwSFN8I?si=a8de7be34b00472b

The Arts Foundation Fellowship: https://artsfoundation.co.uk/

Compton Verney: https://www.comptonverney.org.uk/

Making Mischiefs Exhibition: https://www.comptonverney.org.uk/event/making-mischief-folk-costume-in-britain/

Isaac Ouro Gnao episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6C2fkbkBWNwjGgYTxS2GX6?si=2bae24aac8604355

 

Connect with us:

Ama Rouge Website: www.wearewildwithin.com

IG: @powerup.podcast @ama.rouge @wearewildwithin 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ama-rouge-870b60138

FB: AmaRougemoves

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Ella Mesma Website: www.ellamesma.co.uk, www.mayagandaia.com, 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-mesma-b6071320/

IG: @powerup.podcast @Ellamesma 

FB:@EllaMesma 

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Music by Tomo Carter IG: @tomocarter

 

Everything else brought to you by us, the PowerUp! power team

“Redefining protest - let's not get rid of the word, let’s redefine it and get rid of some of this baggage”.

 

Dr. Hannabiell Sanders is a musician, educator, activist, entrepreneur, and an ambassador of fun. A bass trombonist, African & Latin hand percussionist, composer, producer, and activist. She is a charismatic performer and teacher who is committed to using her music and knowledge in service to social justice to break stereotypes and bring diverse communities together. Hannabiell is the Artistic Director of the social enterprise, Harambee Pasadia which creates, organises and manages festivals and events that focus on community building, arts from the African Diaspora, and intergenerational collaborations with artists and organisations all over the world. She is also the Musical Director for the Ladies of Midnight Blue and the Hannabiell & the Midnight Blue Collective. 

 

Mentions:

Connect with Hannabiel

IG, Twitter, FB, LinkedIn: @Hannabiell

Harambee Pasadia

Amiri Baraka

Bell Hooks

People's Organization for Progress 

Vicky White

Larry Ham

KwaZulu-Natal

Norfolk State University

Mason Gross School of the Arts - Rutgers University

Norfolk State University Spartan “Legion” Marching Band

Podcast episode: How do our Beliefs get in the way of our Possibility? https://open.spotify.com/episode/655kFC0bfpHpS1VK5YRzZJ?si=ad1851fde3b64aa6

Yillis Suriel

The Sage

Secret Garden Party (Chai Wallahs stage): https://www.secretgardenparty.com/products/secret-garden-party-2023

Kendall Calling (Chai Wallahs stage): https://www.kendalcalling.co.uk/

Greenman Festival (Chai Wallahs stage): https://www.greenman.net/

Shambala Festival (Chai Wallahs stage: https://www.shambalafestival.org/

Aldeburgh Carnival: https://www.aldeburghcarnival.com/

Freedom Festival: https://www.freedomfestival.co.uk/?gclid=CjwKCAjwl6OiBhA2EiwAuUwWZbdNTwpa6Rv-8BM10RCoPdNCUVri7SAr2YpNMOHWAVxi9ZHyJZulzBoC7c4QAvD_BwE

The Generator Festival: https://www.generatorlive.org.uk/

 

Connect with us:

Ama Rouge Website: www.wearewildwithin.com

IG: @powerup.podcast @ama.rouge @wearewildwithin 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ama-rouge-870b60138

FB: AmaRougemoves

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Ella Mesma Website: www.ellamesma.co.uk, www.mayagandaia.com, 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-mesma-b6071320/

IG: @powerup.podcast @Ellamesma 

FB:@EllaMesma 

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Music by Tomo Carter IG: @tomocarter

 

Everything else brought to you by us, the PowerUp! power team

“Now more than ever we need to speak about mental health, and now more than ever we need creativity, and, now more than ever we can use our language to really unlearn this world where we are taught that success is based on money, and where we are taught that success is based on a form of productivity that doesn’t actually honour and listen to our wellbeing…”

 

Join us as we open Season 7 introducing you to our themes for the season from a personal perspective. Creativity as a Tool for Revolution, Mental Health and The Power of Language. 

 

Mentions:

Rest & Being: https://thenapministry.com/

Taj Lounge: http://www.tajlounge.com/

Salt vibrations patterns: https://youtu.be/wvJAgrUBF4w

Embodied Alchemy: https://mayagandaia.com/embodied-alchemy/

Carnival, Mass: https://knowyourcaribbean.wixsite.com/know-your-caribbean

 

Connect with us:

Ama Rouge Website: www.wearewildwithin.com

IG: @powerup.podcast @ama.rouge @wearewildwithin 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ama-rouge-870b60138

FB: AmaRougemoves

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Ella Mesma Website: www.ellamesma.co.uk, www.mayagandaia.com, 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-mesma-b6071320/

IG: @powerup.podcast @Ellamesma 

FB:@EllaMesma 

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Music by Tomo Carter IG: @tomocarter

 

Everything else brought to you by us, the PowerUp! power team

“Yoga is about looking at yourself.”

 

We want to empower you to choose whether you listen to this episode or not and let you know that in this episode eating disorders, excessive drinking and abuse are mentioned. If you are affected by anything discussed in this episode, we have provided links to organisations you may find helpful at the bottom of these show notes. 

 

Nadia Gilani is a yoga teacher, journalist and author of The Yoga Manifesto published earlier this year. Her pronouns are she/her. She first discovered yoga after her mum took her to a class in the 1990s (and she really didn’t want to go!) She has been practising ever since. Nadia has extensive experience of working with people with different bodies and from all walks of life and is deeply committed to making yoga inclusive. Her approach to teaching is contemporary and explorative while maintaining a deep respect for the ancient practice. 

 

Mentions:

Connect with Nadia

Website: nadiagilani.co.uk

The Yoga Manifesto: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yoga-Manifesto-Helped-Needs-Itself/dp/1529065100

Mental Health: MIND, Black Minds Matter

Idle Women: https://www.idlewomen.org/

Marlon James: https://marlonjameswriter.com/

 

Connect with us:

Ama Rouge Website: www.wearewildwithin.com

IG: @powerup.podcast @ama.rouge @wearewildwithin @rougedoesfood

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ama-rouge-870b60138

FB: AmaRougemoves

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Ella Mesma Website: www.ellamesma.co.uk, www.mayagandaia.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-mesma-b6071320/

IG: @powerup.podcast @Ellamesma @Maya_Gandaia

FB:@EllaMesma @MayaGandaia 

Twitter: @podcastpowerup

 

Music by Tomo Carter IG: @tomocarter

 

If you are or have been affected by any of the topics we've discussed in this episode here are some organisations you may find helpful:

 

https://www.blackmindsmatteruk.com/

www.mind.org.uk 

https://seed.charity/

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/abuse/#DomesticAbuseAndViolenceSupportOptions

 

Everything else brought to you by us, the PowerUp! power team