Self Care Sundays

How does one navigate Catholicism as a gay congregant? Can drag be a form of self care?

Both of these questions and more will be answered in this episode with our guest, Jay Malsky, who is a New York comedian, drag queen and also a devout practicing Catholic. On this episode, we will explore how Jay has handled being both gay and Catholic and how this has been a positive experience in his life and influence his self-care habits. In addition, Jay will also discuss how being a drag queen has helped him feel comfortable in his own skin and form his own identity.

Jay dissects the complex relationship between sexual orientation and religion. He then offers listeners a unique take on drag and how it serves as a form of self expression for him and others.

If you want to learn more about Jay or check out some of his performances, go to jaymalsky.com! And as always, you can find this episode and more about self-care at @SelfCareSunday on Twitter and Self Care Sunday's Podcast on Facebook.

The transcription for this episode can be found here.

Can veganism be a form of self care? Is a cruelty-free lifestyle a right or a privilege?

On this episode, we'll unpack these issues with lauren Ornelas, Founder and Executive Director of "Food Empowerment Project," an organization on a mission to make vegan food more accessible in low-income areas and communities of color.

But cruelty-free eating doesn't stop with animals. The organization also has a focus on fair conditions for produce workers both here and abroad. In this way, lauren posits, respecting the planet and the workers that produce our food is a form a self-care.

lauren helps us dismantle some common misconceptions regarding vegan living and white privilege. She also explains how her organization aims to combat the oppressive systems impacting food accessibility.

You can connect with Food Empowerment Project on their Website, on Facebook and on Twitter. As always, you can find this episode and much more on our social media @SelfCareSundays.

The transcription for this episode can be found here.

Welcome Carolina Contreras, joining us from the Dominican Republic! Carolina, also known as "Miss Rizos," or "Miss Curls," is an Afro-Latina beauty blogger and entrepreneur who founded Miss Rizos salon. This episode features an examination of communal self-care. Carolina begins discussing how her upbringing as a Dominican-American in Massachusetts shaped her modern understanding of belonging. She then transitions into her experiences with relaxed hair, shaving it, and deciding to fully embrace her natural curls. Having moved from the States to the DR about nine years ago, Carolina also gives listeners a lesson on the colonial history of the DR that shapes contemporary anti-Blackness and Eurocentric beauty standards.

Find more from Carolina on Instagram at @miss_rizos and on Facebook as Miss Rizos. Find us on Twitter at @SelfCareSundays and on Facebook at Self Care Sunday's Podcast.

Welcome to a special two-part episode about sex work! We're speaking with former sex worker and comedienne Kaytlin Bailey today.

In Part 1, Kaytlin gave us a "Sex Work 101." We recommend listening to that episode first if you're unfamiliar with sex work.

Now in Part 2, we dive into the discussion of sex work and self-care. Kaytlin describes the emotional labor of sex work and draws parallels between it and therapy. She also contrasts sex work to other professions such as waitressing, noting she has more control in sex work than a chaotic restaurant environment. We consider race and privilege in sex work and end with a look at the historical vilification of sex workers.

Find more from Kaytlin on her podcast "The Oldest Profession" and on Twitter and Instagram at @kaytlinbailey. Find more from us on Twitter at @SelfCareSundays and on Facebook as Self Care Sunday's Podcast.

The transcription for Part 2 is available here.

Welcome to a special two-part episode about sex work! We're speaking with former sex worker and comedienne Kaytlin Bailey today.

This is Part 1, a "Sex Work 101" for audience members who may be unfamiliar with sex work. We discuss the narratives that surround sex work, the terminology of sex work, labor exploitation, and modern legislation impacting the sex industry.

Part 2, more closely examining sex work and self-care, is also available now everywhere Self Care Sunday's is streaming.

Find more from Kaytlin on her podcast "The Oldest Profession" and on Twitter and Instagram at @kaytlinbailey. Find us on Twitter @SelfCareSundays and on Facebook as Self Care Sunday's Podcast.

The transcription for Part 1 is available here.

Welcome Bushra Amiwala for Episode 4! Bushra is a 20-year-old Chicago-based college student who ran for Cook County Board of Commissioners. On her episode, Aditi and Bushra share their experiences with self-care growing up as girls in South Asian households. Bushra dives into her experience as a young woman of color running for office, noting how her outfits, hijab (headscarf), and skin were subject to frequent scrutiny from the public. She continues with a discussion of who has the privilege of being taken seriously. Bushra finally considers how community played a role during her candidacy and how that has informed her feelings about running for office again. Find Bushra on Twitter at @Amiwala2018 and on Facebook as Bushra Amiwala.

Today we speak with travel journalist Nneka Okona, joining us from Colombia! We begin with a look at the life of a travel blogger. Nneka describes the "white gaze" she encounters in travel in her pursuit of documenting the global iterations of blackness through her work. We then discuss her identity as a Nigerian-American and how food offers a lens through which we can understand identity. Though her roots are in travel writing, she notes she has considered writing about grief as a form of self-care to cope with loss. Nneka concludes attesting to the power of one's "internal voice" and how productivity levels change when its tone shifts from aggressive to gentle.

Find Nneka on Twitter and Instagram @afrosypaella.

Find us on Twitter @SelfCareSundays and on Facebook as Self Care Sundays Podcast.

The transcription for this episode is available here.

We welcome Paralympian Andrew Johnson for our second episode of Season 2! Andrew is a professional rower navigating the sport as a blind athlete. In our conversation, we explore how competition and exercise are forms of self-care. Andrew also considers race, privilege, and intersectionality throughout the show, discussing how he understands his whiteness though physically unable to see skin color. Beyond rowing, Andrew ends attesting to the power of music as we chat about his work as a DJ.

Find Andrew on Twitter at @akjrow and on Soundcloud as DJ Eyeronic. Find us on Twitter @SelfCareSundays and on Facebook as Self Care Sunday's Podcast.

The transcription for this episode is available here.

Our show is possible because the generosity of our listeners! Please consider becoming a patron on Patreon (Patreon.com/SelfCareSundays).

We welcome Kat Calvin, Founder of SpreadTheVote, on our first episode of Season 2! In this episode, Kat shares how life on the road as a non-profit founder informs her self-care practices and conceptions of boundaries. From Instagram to "Stickk," she sheds light on how apps and social media contribute to self-discipline and self-accountability. She shares her take on the more physical components of self-care in her discussion of sports and veganism. She ends with lessons from her mother about life as a black woman and reflects on the privileges being a single woman entails. Find Kat on Twitter and Instagram @KatCalvinLA, and follow us on Twitter @SelfCareSundays, Facebook.com/SelfCareSundaysPodcast, and on our website (https://www.selfcaresundayspodcast.com).

At Self Care Sunday's, we strive to make our content accessible to everyone. A transcription of this episode is available here.

Our show is possible because the generosity of our listeners! Please consider becoming a patron on Patreon (Patreon.com/SelfCareSundays).

Help us bring you Season 2! Become a voluntary subscriber at www.patreon.com/selfcaresundayspodcast!