We're returning to our All About Love discussion series this episode with chapter 5 titled Spirituality - Divine love, where bell hooks highlights spirituality in the context of needing community (16:06). Before we dive in, I give a personal update on feeling overwhelmed the past couple of weeks and how I'm working on prioritizing what's most important. I hope you listen to the end.

As always, please share and recommend, and thank you so much for the support!

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Happy March!

I had a lot of fun recording this episode. At the top, I share about my weekend and taking a historically black neighborhood bus tour around Bronzeville, Chicago and some of what I learned (3:06). Next I talk about watching Mea Culpa over the weekend and my thoughts with spoilers (16:36). Lastly I spend some time entertaining the thought exercise of which Black women in entertainment, fashion and media I would love to interview for the podcast and how it would impact me (28:21). I hope you listen to the end.

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I read Behold the Dreamers in 2018 and loved it so much that I wrote a reaction essay to process my thoughts and feelings about the story. Every so often I re-read the essay, and decided to record it and turn it into an episode. The story follows characters Jende and Neni, and married couple from Cameroon who come to the states with their six year old son with hope for a better future in the US. But things prove much more challenging than they anticipate and they find themselves in situations that force them to make decisions they never thought they would have to make.

As always, please share and recommend, and thank you so much for the support!

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Happy February!

We're kicking off the new month by reflecting on Kerry Washington's memoir, Thicker Than Water. I've been an admirer of Kerry's work for a long time, and since she is known to be very private, I was curious about what she had to share and was not disappointed. She was very open and shares so many gems and lessons she's learned in her personal life and her acting career.

I talk about her how her relationship with her parents has evolved, her challenges with an eating disorder, and how acting was a safe place and means of escaping her reality without knowing the truth about herself. I hope you listen to the end.

I'm starting a YouTube Channel! It will be the secondary platform for my podcast alongside videos specifically for the channel that will focus on books, wellness and lifestyle insight just like the podcast. Follow here!

As always, please share and recommend, and thank you so much for the support!

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Happy New Year!

In this episode I begin by sharing how I spent the holiday season, before talking about my 2024 Ins and Outs, which was a popular topic on social media as we approached the new year (06:54). Finally I discussed an experience I had after seeing the Beyonce concert film that moved me to unfollow almost all the celebrities I followed on Instagram (24:49). I hope you listen to the end.

I'm starting a YouTube Channel! It will be the secondary platform for my podcast alongside videos specifically for the channel that will focus on books, wellness and lifestyle insight just like the podcast. Follow here!

As always, please share and recommend, and thank you so much for the support!

EMAIL: [email protected]

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Happy New Year!

While on break from new episodes, I thought it might be timely for listeners looking to use the new year as a fresh start or new opportunity to re-release this podcast episode from April 2022. I shared my thoughts about the book Atomic Habits by James Clear (3:30), and in preparing for this re-release, I listened to the episode again and am so glad I did. I think I needed to hear some of the takeaways again myself as I think about everything 2023 was for me and how I want to move in 2024. I touch on the concept of motion vs. action, the expectation of linear progress, how to establish habits as easily as possible, and much more. It's a great listen and I hope you enjoy it.

As always, please share and recommend, and thank you so much for the support!

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Check out my podcast page and blog at aagpsychiatry.com

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The end of the year often comes with sentiments around where we are in the moment, and hopes for the future. Opportunities to try again. Second chances. A black page. A new chapter. A clean slate.

On this episode I look back on what 2023 meant for me and my thoughts around the transition to a new year. I talk about refocusing, particularly around this podcast, and what I got right this year that I want continue in 2024. I hope you listen to the end.

This is our last new episode of the year! I will be back with new episodes of Letters & Layers Podcast on Monday, January 15th. Thank you to all my listeners this year. The support means more than you know.

As always, please share and recommend, and thank you so much for the support!

EMAIL: [email protected]

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DM me through my social media handles! IG: @amaka_ag; @mylettersandlayers

Check out my podcast page and blog at aagpsychiatry.com

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Hey everyone!

It. Is. December. Where did the year go? I truly can't believe we're already here.

I start this episode sharing my thoughts on heading back to the east coast for the first time since our move out to the mid-west and how I'm feeling ahead of my travels.

I spend the majority of this episode discussing how hormones we may not otherwise consider as contributors to our mental and emotional health can impact how we feel (07:30). I hope you listen to the end.

If you're interested in reading the article in it's entirety, you can find it here.

As always, please share and recommend, and thank you so much for the support!

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Hey everyone!

It's hard to believe we're halfway through November. Thanksgiving is literally around the corner.

It felt good to talk about surprising my mom for her birthday at the top of the podcast, then chat a bit about how my fitness journey is going and a milestone I hit recently that I'm proud of (10:26).

I also talk about how voice notes offer a means of self-accountability as they have for me the past few months (21:27), and lastly I discuss my major takeaways from the book Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke (26:49). I hope you listen to the end.

As always, please share and recommend, and thank you so much

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Hey everyone! Happy November!

As we near the holiday season, I am so excited to share the first interview conducted on The Letters & Layers Podcast with Dr. Jeannelle Perkins-Muhammad. Dr. Jeannelle is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, owner of private practice TMI Counseling, and author of Into-Me-See: Mastering Black Intimacy for the Relationship You’ve Always Wanted.

We dive deep into this conversation and discuss her inspiration for writing the book, how it has changed her as a therapist, the impact of mental health on intimate relationships, and what she would love her readers to take away. It was great to talk to Dr. Jeannelle and I hope you all enjoy the interview!

Want to reach out to Dr. Jeannelle?

Personal website: Drjeannelle.com

Private Practice Website: Tmicounselingandcoaching.com

Instagram: drjeannelle

Private Practice Instagram: tmi.counseling

Tik Tok: dr.jeannellelmft

As always, please share and recommend, and thank you so much for the support!

EMAIL: [email protected]

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DM me through my social media handles! IG: @amaka_ag; @yourmentalhealthnp

I appreciate you!