Since May is Mental Health Month, we will be having a series of conversations around mental wellness in African communities. We feel that these are very necessary conversations as we begin to look into the state of mental health in our communities. We will be discussing language, identification, providing and receiving support. If you are struggling with something please do not suffer in silence, know that:

You Are Worth Finding

Worth Knowing and

Worth Loving

If you enjoy these series please subscribe, rate and share.

Edit & Produced - Mude Productions

Music - Benmoose by BenSound

Lack of confidence is always the culprit behind not a taking professional jump, leaving an unhealthy platonic or romantic relationship or starting your own business for example. In this episode, I go into some of the steps that I took and Im still taking to boost and rebuild my confidence. This is my no means an exhaustive list, but these are the primary steps I took as I began my journey to self restoration.

• Knowledge Is Power: Get brutally honest with yourself about things you do not know and Read Up.
• Positive Affirmations: Identify the qualities you want to be known for , then begin to speak those things in your life and validate yourself.
• Know Your Superpower: What thing(s) you are good at? Identify them and start improving and amplifying those skills.
• Grooming: Start dressing the part.
• Embrace The Fear: Start doing things that scare you. Learn to put yourself out there. Be patient with yourself but push yourself . Remember, right out of your comfort zone lies all the Magic.
• Speak Up: When you do not agree with something or someone speak for yourself. If you are confrontation avoiding like me, try these techniques; ask "What do you mean" OR "Please explain I'm not sure I understand where you are going". Doing these gave me a lead into then disagree or Speak My Mind and My Truth.

Rise Into The Awesomeness You Know Yourself To Be. Be Fearless and Be Brave

Edited & Produced by Mude Productions

Music - Nice To You from YouTube Audio Library

Try out this time management strategy that was developed in the 1980s by Author and Entreprenuer Francesco Cirillo. The concept is to break down the amount of time you work into intervals. These intervals traditionally consist of 25 minutes of complete focused work followed by 5 min of break time.

I have been actively practicing this technique for some time and have become so much more efficient and productive with my time and goals. Below are some twists that I have put in place for the technique to work for my personality and lifestyle.

Wummy's Pomodoro Hack

Phone on Airplane Mode

Set my focused time on http://e.ggtimer.com)

Stream some www.pandora.com

Also check out free apps like – Focus Keeper Free & Be Focused

Edited & Produced by Mude Productions

Music - Nice To You from YouTube Audio Library

In today's episode we talk to Ope "Sparkle" Gregory, the Founder of a Christian Sex Shop based in Lagos, Nigeria. After returning to Nigeria from the UK, Ope found that there was a big need to cultivate open conversations around sex and sexual fulfilment within Nigerian Christian spaces. The genesis of the idea started with lingerie but later evolved to her helping couples keep their marital beds sacred as she learned about the prevalence of infidelity in young Nigerian couples.

Ope's goal is create open communications around sex with married couples because sex should ENJOYED AND NOT ENDURED. As a firmly rooted Christian herself, Christianity is the guiding compass around this venture and Ope only works with married couples to ensure that their marital beds are left UNDEFILED.

We thoroughly enjoyed this discussion and talked about everything from sexual freedom, to self pleasure and the importance of open communication channels. Connect with Ope below

Ope Gregory

Personal – https://www.instagram.com/opepraise/

Love4Boudoir - https://www.instagram.com/love4boudoir/

Music – BenMoose by Bensound

Edited & Produced – Mude Productions

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Journaling your way to a peaceful, happier and more productive life.

Experts recommend to journal this daily over a 21 day period in order for it to become a habit and to reset yourself; I take a different approach which I outline in the show.

5 STEP PROCESS INVOLVES:

3 things you are Grateful for – 2 mins

A positive experience you have had in last 24 hours – 2mins

Exercise - 15 mins

Meditation – 2 mins (Calm App)

Express Kindness through Text, Call or Email – 2 mins

Music - Nice To You from Youtube Audio Library

Produced - Mude Productions

In this episode, we catch up with Teni of @tentenlooks to discuss life as an Instagram Content Creator. Teni shares a bit of her background growing up as a Nigerian Immigrant in Missouri and later New Jersey. She walks us through her bullying experience and shares how confronting her high school bully allowed her come into her own. She later attended an HBCU which encouraged her to have pride in her culture and heritage. She is now a badass content creator who has grown her following from 0 to over 20,000 followers in less than a year by showcasing beautifully curated and crisp images of her Sky High Afro, Sense of Style and Wanderlust around Southeast Asia. She shares tips on how to grow and optimize Instragram following. Her advice for anyone struggling with burden of being the "other" is to embrace that otherness and BE.YOUR. SELF. The otherness it what helps you stand out and MAKES YOU, YOU.

Makes sure you follow Teni her Instagram page - @tentenlooks

Edited & Produced – Mude Productions

Music – BenMoose by Bensound

Please rate and subscribe on iTunes.

Meet Tomi Owo, Nigerian Alternative Soul Singer-Songwriter. Like many African creatives Tomi was in the corporate space when she could no longer ignore the strong call to creative art through music. In this episode, we talk about taking purposeful steps towards realizing ones' dreams and how she was able to do this through consistency and planning with the help of her then aspiring producer brother. She walks us through her creative process – how she goes from idea to execution- and how global situations influence some her work .

SHOW SPONSORS:

Jewel + Baubles – an affordable jewelry line for the contemporary woman

CONVERSATION

• Transition from Corporate to Music
• African Identity in Music
• Music Creation Process & The Business of Music : Going from idea to execution
• Songwriting influence
• Current Projects
• Life as a newly wed

TOMI's CURRENT READS

• S. Lewis – C.S. Lewis Classics
• Seth Gordin , Poke the Box
• John Howkins, Creative Economy, How to People Make Money From Ideas

NIGERIAN SOUL ARTISTS MENTIONED

Femi Leye -- https://soundcloud.com/femileye

Nana Aisha -- https://www.nanaaishamusic.com

Cobhams Asuquo -- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk9FESZiTxMu-Db76IJasRg

Temi Dakolo --https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPsJQvhKKeU&list=PLn8MOP0fiMuLQ4vEhOeJkuchcvMNxakUD

Bez -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BWoKxUQh7E

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES

WEB -- http://tomiowo.com

INSTAGRAM – https://www.instagram.com/tomiowo/

FACEBOOK -- https://www.facebook.com/tomiowomusic/

We invite fellow podcaster Clarissa Bannor of This Afropolitan Life to share her thoughts on Trevor Noah's book especially in light of her family's recent trip to South Africa. In this episode, we talk about the social economics of being a black person in South Africa from Clarrisa' experience. She shares some of the unusual privileges she experienced being an "other"-- American. We bring the conversation full circle by drawing on some poignant points that Trevor mentions on the class system, religion and the informidable black tax which weighs heavily on many Africans.

This episode sheds light to the fact that Apartheid is still very much alive and in full effect. Now, we must task ourselves with the responsibility of fixing this problem. Since the recording of this episode, there has been more incidents of xenophobic attacks against West Africans.

Music – Moose, Ben Sound

Edited & Produced – Those African Chicks

You Can Find Clarissa @

Podcast – This Afropolitan Life – iTunes and SoundCloud

Blog – This Afropolitan Life

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thisafropolitanlife/

I have always been curious about Chesray's childhood growing up in apartheid South Africa. Wondering about the social landscape from the eyes of a child and understanding how this phenomenon has shaped her identity as a women of color and an activist.

When Trevor Noah's book Born A Crime was released, I could not pass up the opportunity to pour through it and use it his story as a conduit to learn more about Chesray's South African narrative. We discuss things like her identification as a black and not a colored woman. The different race categories of being White, Indian, Colored and Black. We talk about post-apartheid apartheid, internalized oppression and how the racial divide affected economics and that trajectory of ones life. In the world political climate, race, religion , gender conversations are more tense than ever before, it is very interesting to see how movements from over two decades ago are still so relevant today.

Music – Ben Moose

Edited & Produced – Those African Chicks

Efik Zara is a Nigerian-American, true distrupter and status-quo buster. She is the violinist changing the face and feel of classical music with the infusion of African Rhythm. We talk about her journey to classical music and what it means to recognize innate talent and respond to the gnawing calling of ones genius. Hearing Johannes Brahms Symphony No 3 in the 3rd movement was pivotal moment that made her realize music is what she is meant to create.

CONVERSATION

• Journey into classical music
• Listening to the calling to create
• Being the only black woman in a very Anglo-Saxon industry
• Personal Style – Minimalist, Goddess, Ethreal and Modest
• Beauty Channel on Youtube
• Curly Girl Routine Music

SOCIAL MEDIA

Efik Zara Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/efikzara/?hl=en

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/EfikZara

OTHER RESOURCES

BogoBiri – http://www.bogobiri.com/services.php

Zikoko Magazine - http://zikoko.com

Coldstone - http://coldstonecreamery.ng/index.php

Music - Ben Moose Sound

Produced & Edited - Those African Chicks