To Be Held

In this episode of To Be Held, we return after a necessary three-month hiatus to tend to grief and we feature an enlightening conversation with Shakira Bonique, a retired massage therapist turned culture strategist who guides recovering overachievers back to themselves through yoga, humor, and soul-deep storytelling. With her Rhythmic Bloom method, she helps people release what is heavy and create movement, both physically and emotionally, into a truer way of living. You can find Shakira at www.rhythmicbloom.com and/or Instagram @shakirabonique.

In our conversation, we discuss the importance of play, movement, and community in healing. We also explore themes of personal growth, body awareness, and the pursuit of social justice through practical actions and bodywork practices. Shakira encourages listeners to embrace periods of transition and trust their intuitive journey towards faith and healing.

This month's episode, I connect with a warm and gentle spirit, my neighbor, Peregrine Bermas, a Chicago-born and bred clinical herbalist at Dirt & Free Herbal Arts, illustrator, and curious earthling invested in destabilizing colonial cosmology through community herbalism and art. You can learn more about their healing work and sign up for their Patreon at dirtandfree.world.

In our outdoors chat, we discuss Peregrine's journey into herbalism and to North Carolina, their experiences with the medical system, and their passion for working with abundant plant medicine like burdock and dandelion. They also share insights on building interspecies relationships, working in community spaces, and the importance of patience, self-acceptance, and trust in both personal and communal healing. Listen in and be inspired!

If you would like to share your stories on being held or become a guest on the To Be Held podcast, please send me an email at [email protected].

In this month's May episode, I sat down with the brilliant and genuinely cool Tiffany M. Griffin, CEO, Co-Founder, and Co-Owner of Bright Black, a North Carolina-based social enterprise based in Durham that pioneered the art of using scent to share positive stories about the beauty and brilliance of Blackness. Since launching in 2019, Bright Black has gained national and international notoriety, attracting the attention of Beyonce, Zendaya, Jordan Peele, Nike, and others. Uniquely, Bright Black synthesizes cooperative economics theory with revenue-sharing practices to amplify their social and economic impact through strategic partnerships. These collaborations have included partners such as the NBA and WNBA, Michelle Obama's When We All Vote, and the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, and have resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in donations to social organizations working to improve the lives of Black people around the world. Before founding Bright Black, Tiffany was a Strategic Advisor in the Center for Resilience at the US Agency for International Aid (USAID), where she helped to spearhead the Agency's first resilience policy and corresponding programming and evaluation frameworks. Before her work at USAID, Tiffany was a health and safety nets policy staffer for Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico. Tiffany has a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where she focused on decision-making as a conduit of racial discrimination. She also has dual BAs in Psychology and Communications from Boston College. In our conversation, Tiffany shares insights on her journey in starting and sustaining a Black business, her reflections on motherhood, and the importance of community trust. We delve into the complexities of self-reliance, mutual aid, and her vision for more models of community care and support, in addition to the challenges and nuances of balancing personal and professional life in maintaining a mission-driven business. If you would like to share your stories or become a guest on the To Be Held podcast, please send me an email at [email protected].

This month's conversation is a heartfelt conversation with my friend Marqiece, a Georgia native who moved to North Carolina a few years ago. He spends his time hanging with friends and partners, hiking, playing video games, and being silly. Marqiece also leads a local, Black hiking group (Blk Hiking Club RDU) and spends his time during hikes wondering where the soundtrack playing in his head comes from.

We get into the challenges of finding community, particularly for Black men, and the importance of creating intentional spaces for connection and support. Marqiece shares his personal experiences with loneliness during the pandemic, moving to new places, and eventually finding close connections through hiking and community building. Listen in as we reflect on the nature of being held in community, the balance of give-and-take in relationships, and the significance of community support.

If you would like to share your stories and have your voice be featured on the next podcast episode, or become a guest on the To Be Held Podcast, please send me an email at [email protected].

In the premiere episode of 'To Be Held,' host and producer, Aqiyla introduces herself and the profound journey that led to the creation of this storytelling project. Recorded in her makeshift home studio in Durham, North Carolina, she opens up about her experiences with intense grief, the loss of multiple loved ones, and the impact on her sense of self. She shares her struggles with vulnerability, her journey through depression and social anxiety, and the significance of finding one's authentic voice. Through personal storytelling and community engagement, Aqiyla explores the concept of being 'held'—emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. She invites listeners to reflect on their own relationships with their voices and the people and experiences that have shaped them.

Email us at [email protected] to share your story about the topic of being held in your voice and me may feature you on a future episode.

-What has been your relationship with being held in your voice?

-What has been your process of discovering your authentic voice?

-Do you have any significant memories of anyone or anything who's challenged you in your voice or empowered you in your voice?

Come take this journey with me as I explore the everyday acts of being held in our lives and the practice of being supported, comforted, and cared for in this rollercoaster of life.

What does 'to be held' mean to you?

Premiering March 20th, 2025. New episode every 3rd Thursday of the month.