Unchained. Unbothered.

Travel Enthusiast and Accidental Entrepreneur, Cole Banks started Sisters Traveling Solo as a Facebook group. It was her response to an internet debate that discouraged Black women, particularly, from traveling the world unaccompanied. In this episode, Cole talks about the overnight success of that Facebook group. She had to quit a good job (that she enjoyed) unexpectantly when she went from hosting five trips in one year to putting together a team that organized twenty before the year ended. Cole shares that Sisters Traveling Solo is now much more than a Facebook group and successful business. It is a platform for Black women to share their joy exploring the world on their own and to build community for when they want to be in Peru with twenty other Black women in addition to sightseeing in Spain alone. She says that the fear family and friends often project onto single women when they get wanderlust is not allowed in the Facebook group that now boasts 70,000 members. She and her team have worked hard to create a space where statements like, "I am afraid to go here" don't pop up in threads. Instead, the group has an abundance of "I took my first solo trip and I loved it!" posts that garner hundreds of support responses and impromptu trips among the members. In addition to sharing how much joy she gets from watching total strangers become best friends over the course of a week-long trip, Cole is honest about the amount of time and work she has to do to make sure her customers never see or feel how much has gone into their seamless trips. She talks about the realities of having this new good job (that she enjoys) in which she is "on vacation" more times than she is at home. While she is filled with gratitude for how well her business is doing, she admits she's trying to find balance between organizing others' memorable vacations and having enough free time to go on her own, even if it's just to relax without a phone or laptop for a few days. All in all, she is content with her choice to leave her cushy job. "I don't ever forget I have the life many people dream of," Cole states. "I set my own schedule and make my own rules. I am always having a new experience in a different part of the world. I know that is no small thing." It is also no small thing that she has turned this dream job into a million-dollar company in only three years.

A native of Chicago, Chineka Nikko is at her happiest when she is inspiring others to be their best self and shining her positive light on the accomplishments of women who do the same. A poet, inspirational speaker and all around giving human being, she has seen her work and platform as an artist grow since moving to China. In this episode, she shares how her first experience living overseas was through military service and her current experience came after having no other choice but to leave Chicago. A sudden job loss along with an invitation from an old friend to move to Asia were the perfect combination for Chineka to start a new life. She has no regrets and feels it is the best decision she's ever made. She has had no trouble finding work and has seen what was once a glorified hobby turn into a platform as a speaker and poet. She explains how quickly things happen in China and how many times what she thought of as a small, community event at which she had been asked to speak turned out to be a "big deal with news crews and cameras and more people asking me to write other stuff for them." Chineka also addresses what is a recurring question by family and friends back home: "But, are there Black people in China, though?" She laughs as she cites all the Black people she has met from all across the diaspora since moving to China. She tries to be humble as she says she has about a hundred friends who, at any given moment, would offer her their bed, food, money and even a job if she needed it. She quickly confesses she low balled the number and has more like two hundred members of her tribe; the vast majority of them are Black. Though she had (and still has) a supportive network of people in Chicago, something about her network in China has resulted in Chineka being free to explore a much fuller version of herself. "It's almost like I am living in a dream. It's hard to explain, but I have accomplished and grown so much in my three years here. I have had to force myself to slow down."

Popular guest from Season 1, Tracy Adams, returns to talk to Keturah about her new book, No Thanks: Black, Female, and Living in the Martyr-Free Zone. Having known Keturah as a friend and blogger for a decade, Tracy wanted to learn about why Keturah chose to document some of their personal conversations and topics she's written about many times on her blog, Yet Another Single Gal, in this new collection of essays. Keturah explains that two years spent in Africa and the death of musical icon, Prince, were pivotal moments that compelled her to commit to sharing her insights about being a woman whose lifestyle choices center her needs and the pushback she and other Black women endure when they make such choices. Keturah talks about how living abroad has impacted the way she looks at patriarchy and whiteness. She explains that many women she has encountered surrender to both. In her book she tells their stories as well as those whose very lives challenge both systems with bold defiance. When asked if readers of No Thanks will be rewarded with a detailed instruction of how to get free, Keturah responds with her trademark authenticity and wit. "I don't want women to pick up this book because they watched every episode of Iyanla's Fix My Life and their life is not yet fixed." Keturah laughs as she asserts: "You don't need me or Iyanla to fix your life. You already know how to do it. You just may not be talking with yourself enough. But, you know already know what does and does not need fixing. You also know why you ain't fixing it…yet."

Originally from Haiti, Jude-Laure Denis moved to the United States at the age of seven largely because her grandmother feared that a girlchild with such a strong sense of self, will to learn and determination to fight would wither away in their home country. In this episode, she talks about how in addition to the gift of protective elders, her family also left her the legacy of silence. They did not talk about the generations of abuse and secrets that her grandmother could not protect Jude from. She talks about how her life as an adult has been spent trying to unravel the lies she learned to tell as a result of being raised in a family where truth was rarely spoken. Jude explains how she has had to find blueprints for how to find her truth. One powerful blueprint was her life partner, Carol Francis, who challenged Jude to become her best self. Jude also talks about how Beyonce's Homecoming performance helped her deal with the disenchantment she felt as a social justice activist who worked with organizations that didn't value racial justice as much as they proclaimed. She speaks of how much she has come to appreciate this generation's embracing of themselves and black women, particularly, being a lot more intuitive to when they are being asked to sacrifice themselves and pushing back against such oppression. She highlights this freedom to live out loud with an anecdote about her niece who questioned her teacher's version of The Civil Rights Movement. "She was barely in first grade," Jude marvels. "And was able to articulate quite clearly why the teacher was selling her bullshit. I don't remember being that aware at such a young age."

48-year old accountant Gail Newton Howell grew up parenting her mother. With no other children besides her daughter and no supportive spouse, Gail's mother leaned on her daughter in ways that made it impossible for her to enjoy a carefree childhood. In this episode, Gail outlines her road to ending contact with her mother. She describes a childhood spent enmeshed in an unhealthy relationship with her mother. From enduring her excessive drinking to trying to understand why she treated her with such harshness, Gail learned early on that she had to protect her heart from her mother while protecting her mother from adult responsibilities. Gail describes her first attempt to extricate herself from the toxicity of her and her mother's relationship. While still a teenager, she left her mother's house and moved down South to live with relatives. This attempt was not successful as her mother followed her. As Gail matured and sought out therapy, she set up more concrete boundaries. Eventually, in her late 30s Gail's mother disregarded her in such a cavalier way, Gail decided to completely sever their relationship. In addition to sharing her personal experience, Gail talks about how societal elevation of motherhood contributes to adult children feeling guilty about wanting to sever ties with mothers even when those mothers treat them with disdain. She admonishes anyone who is dealing with an abusive parent to choose themselves. "No one has the right to make your life miserable," Gail insists. "The only regret I have about ending communication with my mother is how long I waited to do it. I could have felt this sense of freedom much sooner had I not dealt with her foolishness for as long as I did."

Activist, storyteller and proud preserver of Black Southern culture, Wendi Moore-O'Neal honors the legacy left by her parents - both engaged participants in the Civil Rights Movement and dedicated creators of art and culture. In this episode, Wendi shares how her experience as a community organizer and artist impacted how she dealt with rebuilding a battered New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. She is honest about the blockades to bring back residents who were misplaced after the storm, citing that even she, a college educated professional organizer had trouble finding work that paid her enough money to survive and also allowed her the freedom to rebuild New Orleans the way she and its generations of residents needed it to be rebuilt. Wendi also talks about the mismanagement of financial resources that contributed to many black New Orleanians never being able to return home and the strategic way in which governmental entities sent the message that Black culture did not possess the skill set to properly remake a city that had been broken. Wendi's honesty continues as she shares how "new" New Orleanians contribute to the city's rebranding in ways that make her uncomfortable. She ultimately addresses this discomfort in the way she knows best: through the creation of art. She regularly hosts get togethers where marginalized New Orleanians sing together and has produced a film, This Little Light. The film tells the story of how the blockade to progress in New Orleans impacted her personally when she was fired from an organization because she married her wife. As Wendi explores what it will take for New Orleans to be free of what blocks it from the kind of progress she would like to see, she continues her pattern of unabashed honesty. "It won't be free for the same reason none of us are free. Even in 2019, New Orleans, like many places around the world, is based on a plantation economy." Wendi explains how it is a city built on the backs of the working class. "This is how capitalism works; all of the wealth is gained on the labor of working people." *Shortly after recording this episode, Wendi's father, John O'Neal, passed away. We offer her and the entire Black South our condolences as he was an icon and culture bearer in not only the Freedom Movement of the 1960s, but in the Black Southern Arts Movement as well.

Host of the popular Baltimore radio show, Today with Dr. Kaye, Karsonya Wise Whitehead is an accomplished scholar, author, activist and speaker. She has had many missions in the course of her career: street activist, advocate for public education and prolific writer for black mothers who are trying to raise healthy black children in America. In this episode, she talks about making the choice to serve her mission based on wherever she was in her life at the time. She explains that a challenge from a listener of her radio show sparked her to examine how she could use herself and her show to bring the racial disparities in Baltimore to the forefront of its residents' awareness. As a university professor and speaker, Dr. Kaye shares how she has come to reclaim her time and energy. She rejects the expectation that black women, in general, and black women scholars, in particular, should make it their mission to educate white people on white supremacy. Dr. Kaye candidly expresses her disinterest in playing mammy to white America as it still struggles to figure out how to unpack its privilege. When asked about being a free black woman, she provides a nuanced answer that speaks to the complexities of being nonwhite and nonmale in today's world. She notes freedom is a process and not a goal that one is even consciously seeking most times. "Part of what freedom looks like for me," Karsonya says, "is being able to have difficult conversations with myself and forgiving myself when I fall short. It is allowing myself not to be perfect."

A native of New York City and current resident of New Orleans, Sister Raie is one of those 21st century women whose answer to "Who are you?" is wonderfully layered. An international singer and songwriter, she is an advocate for mental health in the black community and the sexual and romantic exploration of women. An enthusiastic arts educator, she is also the founder of In My Words, a project that mentors girls of color who show a passion for expressing themselves through the arts. In this episode, Sister Raie shares her insights on what it means to be in a romantic relationship that brings her the most peace. She has had conversations with partners about not walking away from a sexual relationship with someone else when she is on the road for long stretches of time because she is unwilling to deny herself intimacy. Because rigid monogamy feels counterintuitive in those situations, Raie is honest about the communication and candor necessary in order to maintain a semi-open relationship that gives her and her partner what they need. She also delves into how many friends she's talked to over the years who are afraid to act on their sexuality – whether it is trying open relationships or simply pleasuring themselves – and how this timidity is their way of saying, "There is not enough space in my life to fully be me." A digression into the topic of the sex life of a fictional character on a critically acclaimed television show also leads Sister Raie to challenge people's reaction to the mythical, oft-demonized "hoe" archetype. Sister Raie also shares one of the reasons why she has been able to embrace her entire sexual self as she's grown into womanhood. "I have let go of the quest for the perfect body in order to enjoy my sexuality." Sister Raie used to have a rigid view on how her breasts should lay and how her butt should look. "Young Sister Raie saw her body through the eyes of the lover who was looking at her naked." she says. "Sister Raie now sees her body as her own. I am just it."

From a "cheeky" brunch series in honor of Michelle Obama, Chana Ewing has grown her passion for women's empowerment into a business that features black women sharing their strategies for maintaining balance and wellness. In this episode, Chana talks about the road to establishing Geenie Box and the concept behind a different woman each month curating a gift box of the things that sustain her. She also shares her mission as an entrepreneur and consultant: to change the narrative of black womanhood from simply surviving to thriving. She admits that Geenie Box is just as helpful to her as it is to her customers. She learns from each curator and listens as they share routines and strategies that have helped them grow personally and professionally. Chana reflects on the growth she has undertaken since she started her brunch series ten years ago. She sees herself unlocking the woman she wants to become and enjoying the process along the way. "I am sick of this fascination with the destination," she says. "I feel like we should enjoy where we are now because if we don't, even when we get to whatever the destination is, we still won't find peace."

Eight years ago, Evita Robinson started the Nomadness Travel Tribe as an online community of about 100 black millennials who shared the common interest of travel. Today, Nomadness is 22,000 members strong and in addition to orchestrating epic tribe trips to all corners of the globe, Nomadness also has regular meet ups and partnerships with travel brands that are just now catching on to the black travel movement. It has also spearheaded its first conference dedicated to the needs, interests and passions of its largely black female members. In this episode, Evita shares how her popularity in high school combined with her natural affinity for planning large scale parties sparked her mission to bring communities of like-minded people together. With the help of her mother, she nurtured her talent for throwing fun, respectful and well-executed events that people looked forward to attending each year. She also talks about how what was once a burgeoning movement a decade ago is closer to becoming the norm for many Black Americans. Since the fresh-faced young professionals who joined the tribe at its infancy are now becoming parents themselves, this next generation of "junior nomads" will have grown up with travel as such an every-day part of their lives that it will be only their parents who can appreciate what a privilege this luxury of collecting passport stamps is. Evita also speaks about the importance of taking trips that go beyond just flossing for the 'gram. "I think every two years you should take a trip that humbles you," Evita says. The key to finding freedom in any trip outside of American borders is to make sure she comes back "not complaining about the same shit as I was when I left."