Tea & Transitions

How do we stay rooted in self-trust when the world is constantly shifting around us? What does it mean to build a life that honors our truth, even when that means slowing down, letting go, or starting over?

In our final episode of the season, Afiya talks about navigating career transitions, learning to listen to the body’s signals, and cultivating a deeper sense of wellness and self-acceptance. We explore the power of intuition, the slow unfolding of purpose, and how nourishment, both physical and emotional, can guide us back to ourselves.

This episode is a reminder that your body, your pace, and your path are all worthy . Even if they don’t match the blueprint you once held.

Guest: Afiya "Fi" Williams

Show Overview

00:00 Introduction to Tea and Transitions

01:39 Career Transitions and Personal Growth

04:40 Welcoming Afiya “Fi” Williams

04:59 Icebreaker Game

09:01 Deep Dive into Career Journeys

14:07 Navigating Career Changes and Wellness

25:13 Building a Life of Liberation and Creativity

31:50 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Show Notes

On Transitions: Riding the Winds of Change: https://www.iamwildfiya.com/post/navigating-transitions

Afiya “Fi.” Williams is a multi-talented impact producer, educator, artist, and wildflower planting seeds of joy, justice, healing, and love in every space she moves through. For over 15 years, her work lives at the intersection of art, education, wellness, and community with a focus on elevating and advancing the well-being and lives of Black people and marginalized communities. When not curating playful and transformative spaces for clients and her company WildFiya, you can find Fi daydreaming and plotting about her farm, basking in the beauty of the redwoods, or enjoying a curated playlist with a good book (or nearly any other task really). 

What does it mean to care for your body across the seasons of your life? And how do our early influences shape — and sometimes limit — the ways we define wellness?

In this reflective and generous conversation, Talia shares her evolving relationship to food, movement, and care. We talk about going vegetarian, shifting motivations, and listening deeply to what the body is asking for. From napping to coconut oil to rethinking why we change, this episode is full of gentle wisdom about the rituals that help us stay grounded.

This is a reminder that your body is always talking to you. The question is: are you listening?

Guest: Talia Witherspoon

Show Overview

00:00 Introduction to Tea and Transitions

02:33 Discussing Body Image and Surgery

04:04 Body Image and Family Influences

07:20 Introducing Guest Talia Witherspoon

07:58 Icebreaker Game

13:00 Journey to Body Positivity

19:32 Advice for Wellness and Self-Care

28:48 Concluding Thoughts and Reflections

Show Notes

Talia Witherspoon is a Creative Director, wellness entrepreneur, and founder of Sweet Peach Pilates—a brand that blends Pilates with soft life rituals to support nervous system regulation and embodied well-being. She’s passionate about helping women reconnect with themselves and design lives that embrace flow, self-devotion over discipline, and sustainable success.

Sometimes, we don’t even realize how much we’re bracing until we find someone or somewhere that lets us fully exhale. In this moment from the hosts’ conversation, Odelia and Vina reflect on psychological safety, chosen communities, and learning to trust the spaces where we’re truly seen.

Catch the full episode: Black Tea & Learning to Belong to Yourself with Lan Guo out now!

What does it mean to belong when your life has crossed continents, cultures, and expectations?

In this reflective episode, Lan shares her journey of migration from China to the U.S., the shaping of her values across languages and geographies, and how her understanding of community has shifted over time. We talk about caring for aging parents, letting go of inherited expectations, and learning to center your own needs without guilt.

This episode is a meditation on transitions, chosen values, and the slow, intentional work of becoming yourself on your own terms.

Guest: Lan Guo

Episode Overview

00:00 Introduction to Tea and Transitions

00:19 Sipping on Stories: The Power of Tea

01:32 Exploring the Concept of Belonging

02:18 Personal Stories of Belonging

03:37 Navigating Relationships and Belonging

07:09 Guest Introduction: Meet Lan

07:57 Icebreaker Game

14:40 Discussing Community and Values

27:01 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Show Notes

Lan Guo grew up in Tianjin, China. After graduating from high school, she moved to the US with her parents. She spent 4 years in New York state for college, then 2 years in Georgia for grad school. Her first job took her to Pennsylvania in 2007. A few job switches later, in 2015 she moved to the Bay Area in California with her husband to take on a new career opportunity in tech. All the transitions so far gave her many chances to try new strategies in navigating through changes. She loves watching people, listening to their stories, and making sense of things. 

What happens when you return to the land of your ancestry not as a tourist, but to plant roots, build community, and do the work?

In this episode, Ghanaian American consultant and facilitator Akosua shares what it was like to move to Ghana, full of intention and vision, only to be met with the complexity of culture, expectation, and belonging. From navigating assumptions about her Americanness to adjusting her approach to leadership and community-building, Akosua walks us through the learning, the listening, and the letting go that comes with returning to a place you’ve never quite lived, but always carried.

We talk about diasporic identity, spiritual and cultural integration, code-switching across continents, and how true community takes shape when you stop assuming and start observing. Akosua reminds us that humility is a skill, gratitude is cultural, and belonging is something we build, not just something we expect.

Guest: Akosua

Episode Overview

00:00 Introduction to Tea and Transitions

00:19 Today's Tea and Topic: Community Building

03:54 Guest Introduction: Meet Akosua

04:20 Icebreaker Game

09:18 Akosua’s Journey: From the Bay Area to Ghana

14:56 Navigating Cultural Differences in Community Building

26:25 Advice for Women of Color in Transition

30:33 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Show Notes

Akosua is the Founder of Dua Pa, an organisation which that supports the next generation of change makers by providing HR and business development consulting services in Ghana. Her latest venture, &Spice, is an agriculture development company that focuses on trading along the agric value chain. She focuses on building community by connect stakeholders and young women who are seeking to make impact. She is passionate about helping underserved people and children find opportunities to grow. When not working, she enjoys learning new dances, drinking tea and doing art projects to relax. 

A warm first pour before the full episode brews.

Before we sit down with Akosua next week, your co-hosts Odelia and Vina reflect on what it means to build real community in times of crisis. From meeting your neighbors to showing up at the polls, this is a tea time check-in on local action, shared humanity, and why small is everything.

What does it mean to grieve with intention? And how do we hold on to community, identity, and love when so much is shifting around and within us?

In this raw and deeply moving conversation, Dr. Ash opens up about losing her father, becoming a parent, and how grief has shaped her relationship to community and self. We talk about isolation, intergenerational loss, chosen family, navigating grief, and the quiet work of learning new language and tools, not just for ourselves, but for each other.

This episode is an offering for anyone carrying grief while still being asked to carry so much more.

Guest: Dr. Ash

Episode Overview

00:00 Introduction to Tea and Transitions

00:30 Sipping Lemongrass Tea and Tasting Notes

01:27 Building Community and Belonging

05:18 Introducing Dr. Ash

05:52 Icebreak Game

11:25 On Community and Belonging

15:10 Navigating Grief and Loss

27:12 Closing Thoughts and Reflections

Show Notes

Dr. Ashley C. Williams is a thought leader, facilitator, and strategist who nurtures justice-rooted ecosystems across early care and education. As the founder of justECE, her work bridges research, practice, and community voice to build dignified systems that ensure young children, their families, and the educators who work with them can thrive. Her approach is grounded in the belief that wellness and belonging are essential to any vision of justice. Dr. Ash brings magnetic energy, storytelling, inquiry, and humor into every space she enters. Whether she is leading strategy, guiding professional development, shaping equity-driven policy, or co-designing reflection spaces that honor identity and lived experience, she centers healing, joy, and collective care. Outside of her work, she enjoys curating playlists, writing poetry, and making a new meaning of life as Mommie to her young son, Ashtyn.

What if the way you’ve always worked is no longer sustainable?

In our season premiere, Laura Saldivar Luna shares the moment her body called for a reset and the journey that followed. From guilt and burnout to clarity and rebuilding, this episode is a powerful reflection on letting go of what no longer serves in order to lead differently.

Guest: Laura Saldivar Luna

Episode Overview

00:00 Introduction to Tea and Transitions

01:03 Finding Groundedness in Career Shifts

05:11 Introducing Laura Saldivar Luna

05:49 Icebreaker Game

10:59 Laura's Career Transition Journey

19:33 Embracing the Unknown and Building New Paradigms

27:29 Advice for Women of Color in Transition

31:33 Conclusion and Future Possibilities

Show Notes

Laura Saldivar Luna (she/her/ella) is a creator of the possible and a believer in the limitless potential of humanity. Laura specializes in conscious leadership development and coaching to help human beings access powerful breakthroughs in their lives and leadership by tapping into the infinite wisdom they hold within. As the Founder and CEO of Piñata Possible, Laura is committed to creating a new leadership paradigm where people can be fully expressed in their individual identities and generously supported in collectively sharing their gifts to positively impact the world. She lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, two children, three corgis, and a spirit of possibility that’s contagious.

Apply now for The Breakthrough Builder with Laura.

Something new is brewing.

Tea & Transitions returns for Season 3 with fresh conversations, honest reflections, and the stories that remind us how change shapes who we are becoming.

This season, we’re joined by six incredible women of color to reflect on the in-between spaces, embrace the challenges that shape us, and honor the communities that carry us through.

Season 3 of Tea & Transitions begins soon.

After a summer hiatus, we're back with episode 2 and an inescapable topic: motherhood. And while many conversations and depictions around motherhood are forced upon us, we're exploring stories from individuals reclaiming their narratives around motherhood. So grab your cup or mug, and join us as we take a look at how we define and redefine motherhood.  

Guests: Deepa Manjanatha and Jennifer Ng