Hey girl hey!

It's episode 9 in our twelve-week series on Healing Through Hospitality, Rest & Reset. This is a topic that we've covered before on this show with a guest co-host back in season 2. Even still, it's so fundamental to our healing that it deserved to be on of the 12 principles and a deeper, honest discussion on how we do/don't practice this in our own lives.

Before we get into the notes for this week: "Happy birthday to us!" Tennille and I celebrated both of our birthdays over the weekend and it was glorious. I celebrated mine with a small group of close friends at the Black Woman-owned STILL. Spa & Oasis in Alexandria, VA. You can find them online at www.experiencestill.com, be sure to tell them Love, Maaden sent you if you book! (Thanks, Lindsay for the reminder to add it to the notes!)

In the spirit of celebration and joy, we both had something we were loving this week. I am loving clean storage ware by W&P (check out the Porter collection), and Tennille told us about a favorite new follow @HomeboyImprovement on Instagram.

As always we shared nothing but the truth, called out at least three good gems for our notes, and we mentioned a favorite online resource. If you don't already, follow The Nap Ministry on Instagram.

As always, thanks for tuning in!

Love, Maaden

Support the show

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lovemaaden.substack.com

Support the show

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lovemaaden.substack.com

Hey girl hey! Spring has sprung, the birds are singing, and love is in the air! Welcome to episode 7 in the Healing Through Hospitality series: Show Love.

We talk this week about the foundation for Love, Maaden and healing through hospitality -- showing love to God, ourselves and others. Tune in with us as we dive deeper in out our personal struggles with self love and how that has evolved over the years in our healing journey.  As always, the episode was peppered with laughs and fun facts. Looking for the answer Tennille's "Snapple fact" question of the episode "How many times does love show up in the Bible? Here's what I've found:

• In the Old King James Version (KJV), the word love is mentioned 310 times.
• In the New American Standard Version (NASV), the word love is mentioned 348 times. 
• In the New International Version (NIV), the word love is mentioned 551 times. 
• In the New Revised Standard Version (NASV), the word love is mentioned 538 times. 
• In the New Living Translation (NLT), the word love is mentioned 898 times.

And as far as types of love in the Bible, we discovered these four:

1. Storge – the familial or empathy bond.
2. Philia – friend bond.
3. Eros – romantic love.
4. Agape – unconditional "God" love.

As we discussed, all love is a daily practice and a lifelong commitment. Ready to take a deeper dive into your daily love practice? Check out the 21 day love challenge here.

Thanks for listening! Love what you've heard? Please, share with a friend.

Love,
Maaden

Support the show

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lovemaaden.substack.com

Hey girl hey! We are back with another episode. C'mon consistency! Welcome to episode 6 in the Healing Through Hospitality series: Break Bread.

Tennille and I get into cooking, comfort, community, and the power of meaningful connection over food.  As always, we  chatted about what we're loving. Tennille's favorite thing this week is The Pivot Podcast on YouTube. And mine is probably the same as yours if you live anywhere around the DC Area!

We mention some of our favorite acts of service that involve food, and one of mine is sending a good ole care package from Spoonful of Comfort. One thing about me, Imma send some soup! Also, over the course of our conversation we liken food to a soundtrack of our lives, as certain foods elicit certain emotions -- does anyone else remember listening to The Nutty Professor soundtrack. Just me?  What about PB&Js -- do y'all still eat those? What memories do they conjure to, if any?

Oh, and we do some free plugs as always! Be sure to check out Tennille's podcast - okay?! And our girl, Katryce -- The Funny Momma's -- cookbook: Sear. Whip. Sizzle. We share a few more favorite cookbooks:

• A Whole New You - Tia Mowry 
• The Lazy Genius Kitchen - Kendra Adachi

Thanks for listening! And be sure to share with a friend. Until next time! 

Love,
Maaden

Support the show

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lovemaaden.substack.com

Hey girl hey! We are taking about one of my favorite topics today -- gratitude. Let's get into it. Welcome to episode 5 in the Healing Through Hospitality series: Practice Gratitude.

Tennille and I talk about journaling, affirmations, and daily practice through prayer or reflection.  If you are looking for a way to start or continue a simple, daily practice in 2 minutes or less a day check out The Good Series on my website for a free 21-day guide! We also chatted about what we're loving or leaving -- both of us picked televisions series that we're loving this week! Get into it.

We also spent time exploring what to do in those seasons where we feel like we have nothing to be grateful for. If you think you might be experiencing depression, anxiety or overwhelm -- or are just interested in learning more about maintaining your mental fitness -- check out these resources:

• For those seeking a therapist.
• For Black women seeking therapy.
• For those seeking fully virtual/online therapy.

And if you have ever had suicidal thoughts. Please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. There is absolutely no judgement about what you are feeling. You deserve to live, you matter and you are worthy of love!

Love,
Maaden

Support the show

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lovemaaden.substack.com

Hey girl hey! You know we love a good talk about the F word -- fear -- and how it shows up throughout the healing journey. Welcome to episode 4 in the Healing Through Hospitality series: Name Your Fears.

Tennille and I talk about not just acknowledging, but learning more about our own fears and how those fears show up in our self-image,  our relationships, and more. Fear is something that we've learned we need to address right up front in order to declaw it and make it more manageable. And Naming Our Fears stops us from projecting, and allows us to identify and address our respective tendencies toward procrastination and perfectionism.

Tune to learn how we are doing that. And for those who are ready to take next steps around naming your own fears, we share some of our top resources for creating safe experiences to do so with the guides in the Love, Maaden Starter Kit .  And a nod back to our Season 2 guest and good friend, Luvvie Ajayi Jones' best selling book Fear Fighter Manual, which provides a practical approach to naming your fears in so a number of situations! It's a must read.

As always, you're in for a chuckle as we talk about everything from the Metaverse to remembering our good sis, Whitney "Nippy" Houston. Here's to more peace and less fear as we heal!

Love,
Maaden

Support the show

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lovemaaden.substack.com

We're already quarter of the way through season 4! This is episode 3, of our twelve-week series on Healing Through Hospitality: Get Grounded.

Tennille and I talk about mindfulness, unplugging, and staying in the present moment.
 
I shared a couple of grounding practices including intentional breathing -- a simple exercise is a 4-6-8 breath, inhaling for a count of 4, holding your breath for a count of six, and exhaling for a count of 8. I also shared a grounded exercise for coping with anxiety, that uses all our senses, the formula is as follows:

• Acknowledge 5 things you see around you.
• Acknowledge 4 things you can touch around you.
• Acknowledge 3 things you hear.
• Acknowledge 2 things you can smell.
• Acknowledge 1 thing you can taste.

Our resident experience guru, Tennille, also shared an app for discovering different experiences near you (including mindful and sensory activities) called the Fever App. And I shared a grounding experience of mine that I am looking forward to, a girls' day at STILL. here in DC. 

We hope that you have some grounded practices and mindful experiences in your future, too. If not, be sure to take some time to ground yourself to and be intentional about getting back to you.

Love,
Maaden

Support the show

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lovemaaden.substack.com

Welcome to episode 2, of our twelve-week series on Healing Through Hospitality: Make Space.

Tennille and I may be on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to tidying up, but we did find some common ground on how we hope to approach the practice of "making space" in our lives moving forward.  We shared some of our favorites ladies who we have learned from in this space! Be sure to check out these lovely ladies:

• Behind The Glow by Shalyce Tyson
• Occasions Bins by Shakira Patterson
• The Lazy Genius Cleaning Guide by Kendra Adachi
• The 30 Day Simplicity Challenge by Emily Ley

Making space is not just about our physical spaces, either. We're cleaning up our emotional and mental spaces on our healing journey, too! Learn about how we're doing that, and get into our plans for celebrating love this Valentine's Day with our faves.Oh and Happy Love Day to you, friend! You are now listening to Love, Maaden: The Podcast. 

Support the show

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lovemaaden.substack.com

This is the first episode in our twelve-week series on Healing Through Hospitality, beginning with the first principle, Just Start.

Tennille and I talk about our experiences with both perfectionism and procrastination, and why it's so important to do it anyway, do it scared, and just do it. We recognize that fear is often the root cause for why we don't start on [fill in the blank] and nod back to one of our favorite episodes from Season 3, Fear Fighting with Luvvie Ajayi Jones. If you haven't heard it, you absolutely must!

We also catch up on where we've been for the past 6 months and what to expect from us, and the show, in the 3 months ahead!  Welcome back. We're looking to unpacking the series with you. You are now listening to Love, Maaden: The Podcast. 

Support the show

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lovemaaden.substack.com

In January 2020 I launched an online resource, Love, Maaden, to help encourage people to find healing through hospitality by creating community in their homes. I had monthly recipes, conversation prompts, and free  downloadable guides for anyone thinking of hosting. The gather starter kit included three one page guides that outlined how one of these in-home gatherings would flow from start to finish.

A month later, we would go into lockdown for a global pandemic that continues to evolve, and hampers how we interact and social with one another making this guides for gather seemingly obsolete. What I've  learned, however, is that those very principles would serve as guideposts for my own self healing journey over the two years to come, and would evolve to compromise my 12 Principles for Healing through Hospitality.
 
Those 12 principles and our twelve episode topics for the season are:

1. Just Start.
2. Make Space.
3. Get Grounded.
4. Name Your Fears.
5. Practice Gratitude.
6. Break Bread.
7. Show Love.
8. Set Boundaries.
9. Rest & Reset.
10. Have Hope.
11. Do Good.
12. Offer Grace.

To learn more about creating a Love, Maaden-style gathering of your own check out the FREE guides at lovemaaden.com/start.

To get $10 extra USD to send to your loved ones back home, download the Tap Tap Send app in your app store, then use the promo code LOVEMAADEN.

Thanks for listening! Looking forward to sharing this season with you.

Love,
Maaden

Support the show

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lovemaaden.substack.com