In the final episode of season 1 Daphne and Aileen are joined by Violet Maila music industry professional and art activist from South Africa. 

They discuss the role of extended family in forming our identity, the power of music in shaping our expression as Violet tells the stories of how she landed in the music industry and the joy it brings her. 

How important business acumen is for African musicians and the struggles they face finding financial reward for their skill.

As Project Manager for the Music in Africa Foundation, Violet highlights the research and work this platform is doing around the continent to empower African musicians.

musicinafrica.net

In the penultimate episode of season 1 Daphne and Aileen chat about what it means to be wise, how to uncover one’s deepest longings and desires and live a life where heart and mind are aligned.

They look at some of the challenges in overcoming the notorious imposter syndrome, checking our tradition and belief systems and invite us to celebrate each other’s brilliance as well as our own.

The Soulfully hosts and guest Mazzi Odu, a published author, respected fashion journalist and pan Africanist discuss her experiences as a Ugandan-Briton in the UK, her unconventional route to being published and her determination to forge a way forward to celebrate the high end creative industry globally and in Africa. This is a conversation not to be missed as it touches on narratives around blackness, the joys and challenges of cross cultural marriage and how we as Africans can champion our own design heritage and emerging designers.

http://www.magnusoculus.com/

Instagram

@mazziodu

@magnus.oculus

Aileen and Daphne sit down for a conversation with Rehema Shabaya, a senior manager at one of the world’s largest consultancy corporations, and a Diversity and Inclusion champion and mentor, focused on getting young women into technology.

Rehema, who was born in Kenya, shares her experiences growing up as a tiny minority in England, being exposed to different cultures from an early age, navigating being among other black cultures in London and her unconventional career path that started in International Development and eventually led to her embarking on a career in IT Consulting.

We discuss overcoming and learning from adversity, rediscovering her faith, we look at issues that affect black professional women, including racial bias, imposter syndrome and the benefit of having champions and of paying it forward by being a champion for those rising behind us.

Daphne and Aileen sit down to explore the topic of friendship and sisterhood and the different ways in which we gain, nurture and lose these relationships.

How do our early and childhood experiences and our personalities impact the ways in which we handle our friends? Listen in to how our hosts ‘break up’ unhealthy friendships, and what’s the ideal number of friends to have.

What’s your friendship style? Grab a glass or a cuppa and join in the conversation.

Trigger Warning: mention of attempted suicide. 

This week we’re joined by Lekia Lee, founder of Project Embrace, an initiative to increase visibility of Afro Textured Hair. Lekia shares her own journey to self-love and acceptance, the challenges of overcoming her internal critical voice about her identity and beauty, and how she found her way to fully self-embrace.

We discuss whether hair is the last bastion of discrimination. Lekia describes how desire for her own daughter not to experience self-criticism led her to launch Project Embrace, which aims to break boundaries and change perceptions of beauty by making the beauty of Afro textured hair more visible in the media. 

Lekia reminds us why representation is so important, how perceptive children are and how much black girls can learn through gentle nurturing of their hair by both mothers and fathers. 

https://www.projectembrace.org.uk/

Aileen and Daphne are joined by guest Dr. Sandra Jumbe, a health psychologist from Malawi living and working in the UK. 

They discuss what mental health is, while looking at how it can be positively maintained and some of the triggers that can adversely affect it. 

Sandra shares her personal experience, from being a foreigner in the UK as a teenager, to being a black woman in the field of research in health psychology. 

The conversation considers the stigma surrounding mental health in African communities and some of the work Sandra has initiated to address the misperceptions associated with mental health and provide accurate education around the topic.

 Is the stigma less apparent in the diaspora than on the continent? and what are some of the pressures faced by women in the diaspora that can negatively impact their mental health. 

Sandra provides insight into finding support and some practical ways of guarding ones own mental health.

https://www.baatn.org.uk/

http://www.mhlec.com/ (Sandras website will be live soon)

In this inaugural episode, long-time friends Aileen and Daphne introduce ourselves and discuss the topics that we as African Diaspora women of a certain age care about and will be bringing from the intimacy of our dinner tables to this podcast. 

From optimising health and well-being (mental, physical, emotional and spiritual), menopause, careers and entrepreneurship, navigating relationships, race, culture, raising multi-cultural kids and everything in-between. 

We touch on Aileen's unique heritage and her truly multi-cultural household and Daphne's not-so-pleasant but memorable Mount Kilimanjaro challenge. 

We introduce Sherlock The Dog, our third host...but he's a no show.

Soulfully is a new podcast celebrating women in the African diaspora. This is Season 1.