Jasmine Mans joins Dr. Thema to speak honestly about the ways we abandon ourselves in relationships and the importance of choosing and loving ourselves.

Jasmine Mans is a queer Black poet and performance artist from Newark, New Jersey. Jasmine’s debut poetry collection, Black Girl, Call Home (Berkley Penguin Random House) published in 2021 to critical and commercial acclaim, and was named one of the most anticipated books of the season by Oprah, TIME, Vogue, Vulture, Essence, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Refinery 29, Shondaland, Bustle, and Reader’s Digest. The collection went on to receive the prestigious Stonewall Honor Award, as well as a BCALA Award in the Poetry category.

Jasmine most recently collaborated with the Brooklyn Ballet at the storied Brooklyn Academy of Music, setting her poetry to ballet and classical scores. Jasmine was also a contributor to Nikole Hannah-Jones’s The 1619 Project and has co-hosted The Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America series alongside renowned author Jason Reynolds.

Jasmine began her creative journey with the acclaimed Strivers Row poetry collective, and she continues to perform to sold-out crowds, like the Sundance Film Festival, Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theater, and BAM, among many others. Jasmine can currently be heard as the voice of Ulta Beauty’s national “Muse” campaign, honoring Black women in the hair and beauty industry.

Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast

Dr. Jennifer joins Dr. Thema to provide practical strategies for decolonizing our nervous system. Rooted in culture, somatics, and psychological science, the resources she provides empower us to reconnect and come home to ourselves.

Dr. Jennifer Mullan, PsyD is a founder, speaker, and best-selling author. As the founder and CEO of The Center for Decolonizing Therapy and author of the best-selling book, Dr. Mullan, known as “the Rage Doctor,” is a bold, leading voice in reimagining mental health through the lens of colonization, generational trauma, and systemic harm. Her work is both embodiment and invitation—awakening the wisdom of sacred rage and ancestral healing through somatics, neuroscience, and psycho-spiritual practice. On a mission to radicalize and democratize mental health, it is Dr. Mullan’s life's work to support individuals and communities in reclaiming their wholeness. She lives on Lenape land in Northern New Jersey and is the author of the forthcoming book Sacred Rage.

Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast

In this week's episode, Dr. Thema is back to answer the questions you have submitted about relationships, connection, and healing. To get insights for your questions and concerns in a future episode, send your questions to [email protected]. Don't forget to like, subscribe, share, and comment.

Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast

Spoken word artist Janette...ikz shares with us her journey back home to herself after the loss of her mom. She describes the roles alcohol and faith played in her attempts to cope with and eventually heal from the pain and disconnected caused by grief and trauma.

MissTerious Janette…ikz (pronounced mysterious genetics) is a globally recognized spoken word poet and musical artist whose Christ-centered creativity has inspired audiences for more than 25 years. Known for her unmistakable blend of poetry, music, and storytelling, she brings a rare authenticity that captivates listeners and invites them into deeper reflection, healing, and hope.

Her viral piece “I Will Wait for You”—with millions of views across YouTube and Facebook—introduced her to a worldwide audience and established her as a leading voice in faith-driven artistry. She has since been featured on The 700 Club, BET, and the covers of Testify Sister and Spoken Vizions Magazine, while sharing stages with Chris Tomlin, Lecrae, Francis Chan, Kirk Franklin, Kierra Sheard, Jonathan McReynolds, and many more.

Having overcome significant adversity from a young age, Janette…ikz now uses both her music and poetry as vessels of restoration, reminding audiences that God can transform every storm into purpose. Her performances carry a unique combination of passion, vulnerability, and spiritual depth that continues to resonate across generations and cultures.

Don't forget to subscribe.

Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast

Aziza Kibibi, an author and survivor of molestation, courageously shares with Dr. Thema her homecoming journey after years of molestation by her father. She describes the strategies her father, who is now incarcerated, used to control and manipulate all of the members of the family. Aziza tells of her brave escape and the healing work she is done and continues to do to live more fully.

When she was eight years old, Aziza Kibibi was molested by her biological father, MTV award winning video director Aswad Ayinde. By the time she was twelve he deemed her his sex slave and refused to continue her homeschool education. At fifteen she became pregnant with her first child for her father and over the years Aziza bore four children for him; two of whom have genetic disorders. After living with physical, emotional, mental and sexual abuse for most of her life, at 24 years old, Aziza finally liberated herself from the harrowing existence she knew. Now a top selling published author, the CEO of a nonprofit organization, an advocate for women’s rights, a multimedia journalist and personality, and a Magna Cum Laude graduate holding two bachelors degrees in media, Aziza Kibibi is a testament of resilience, endurance, triumph. As the founder and CEO of Precious Little Ladies Inc. (PLL), a social progression organization that combats child molestation and abuse, domestic violence, incestuous abuse and sexual assault by strengthening the bond between mother and daughter, Aziza has helped thousands locally, nationally and internationally through the organization’s programs, events and awareness raising campaigns.

Don't forget to subscribe, like, and share.

Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast

Psychologist Dr. Raquel Martin transparently shares her inspiring motherhood journey. She also raises awareness about the racial disparities Black women face while seeking maternal care.

Dr. Raquel Martin, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist, professor, and speaker committed to advancing culturally responsive mental health care. Rooted in liberation psychology, her work centers Black mental health, healing, and systemic change. She is the host of the Mind Ya Mental podcast and a leading voice in anti-racist, community-based wellness and advocacy.

Don’t forget to subscribe and like.

Music by Joy Jones.

Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast

Psychologist and author, Dr. Akinyela joins Dr. Thema to explore identity, culture, and healing. Based on African American culture, this narrative approach empowers people to build lives of liberation and resilience.

Dr. Makungu M. Akinyela is a leading authority on cultural democracy, narrative practice, anti-racist resistance and mental health. He is a licensed psychotherapist practicing in Atlanta, Georgia and an Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Georgia State University. He is the creator of the African Centered approach to narrative practice called testimony therapy. He is the author of the book Culture, Politics, Spirituality and Practice: A book of resistance and critical theory for disturbing times published by Dulwhich publications, as well as the author of the forthcoming book on his clinical ideas entitled Testimony therapy: Decolonizing Mental Health for Black Therapists and Clients, published by W.W. Norton. As a scholar activist and a therapist. Dr. Akinyela is a lifelong committed social justice organizer with a focus on struggles for human rights and justice for Black people in the United States and the African diaspora. His research and writing include such subjects as cultural democracy and mental health care; cultural domination and therapeutic resistance; reparations and the role of mental health workers in repairing oppressions wounds and African centered family therapy. He is a Clinical Fellow and an Approved Supervisor of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).

Don’t forget to subscribe and share.

Music by Joy Jones.

Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast

Therapist and author, Prentis Hemphill joins Dr. Thema for an honest conversation about loneliness and divine identity. They explore family, sexuality, embodied living, and the need to break draining cycles.

Prentis Hemphill is the bestselling author of What It Takes to Heal, a groundbreaking exploration of healing, justice, and transformation. A therapist, somatics teacher, facilitator, political organizer, and writer, Prentis is also the founder of The Embodiment Institute and a leading voice in embodied leadership and collective healing.

For over a decade, Prentis has worked with individuals and organizations through their most challenging moments of change—navigating leadership transitions, conflict, and the alignment of practice with values. Grounded in an embodied approach, their work ensures that our intentions aren't just ideas, but are fully lived, felt, and practiced.

Before founding The Embodiment Institute, Prentis served as the Healing Justice Director at Black Lives Matter Global Network and was a lead somatics teacher with generative somatics and Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity (BOLD). They hold an M.A. in Clinical Psychology and have provided therapeutic services in low-cost mental health clinics, centering marginalized communities. Don't forget to subscribe and share.

Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast

Founder and Executive Director of BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective), Yolo, joins Dr. Thema and shares his thoughtful insights on womanist and anti-patriarchal therapy. Yolo also reflects on his homecoming journey and the context of identity and expectations for boys and men. For over two decades, Yolo Akili Robinson has served as a counselor, organizer, facilitator, and community healer working at the intersections of mental health, womanism, spirituality, and collective care. A Ford Foundation Global Fellow and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Equity Award recipient, Yolo is the founder of the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM)—a national grantmaker for healing justice and mental health organizations that has designed evidence-based interventions centering radical wellness and collective care.

His work bridges clinical, community, and movement spaces, with experience spanning Men Stopping Violence, NYU Langone Medical Center, and national initiatives with the CDC and NIH—helping to design and implement community-based mental health and wellness interventions nationwide. Recognized by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy for his leadership in advancing emotional well-being and social connection, Yolo’s areas of specialization include anti-patriarchal counseling and healing work with Black men and boys, collective and community-based curricula and interventions, mental health and HIV/AIDS in Black queer communities, and body-centered healing practices.

Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.

Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast

Ashley joins Dr. Thema and shares her homecoming journey from childhood wounds and empowering ways to heal. She also reads a moving narrative of racial trauma from her bestselling book: The Cost of Healing in Silence: Navigating Racial Trauma and the Call for Culturally Responsive Care. Pick up your copy today.

Ashley McGirt-Adair is a psychotherapist, TEDx international speaker, author, and the founder and CEO of the Therapy Fund Foundation, a nonprofit focused on eliminating barriers to mental health care in Black and historically excluded communities. She specializes in trauma, racial trauma, leadership, health equity, mental health, and self-care. Ashley holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, operating a private practice where she addresses racial trauma, depression, and anxiety. Featured in Forbes, MSNBC, and HuffPost, Ashley also serves as the NAACP State Area Conference Health Chair. Don't forget to subscribe and share.

Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast