YOU Better!

Join Kiesha Garrison and Ben Shimizu of Canine Cornerstone for this episode featuring many lessons about love, connection, and relationships we can glean from people who are intuitive enough to communicate well with animals. Ben enlightens about the deep connections between pets and their owners and uses his life story as an example of how our human lives impact the animals in our care and how our pet relationships impact our lives and our growth as individuals.  They also talk about staying connected to things you care about throughout your life, caring for oneself during a grieving process, and how embracing what others may call weird about you might just lead you to your superpower. 

Episode Resources:

• https://www.caninecornerstone.com/ 
• Canine Cornerstone (@caninecornerstone) • Instagram photos and videos

Contact Info

• Send booking inquiries for Kiesha to (info at kieshagarrison.co)
• Kiesha on IG: @kiesha_garrison

Directly support the podcast financially:

• Cash App
• Venmo
• PayPal.Me

To connect with host Kiesha B. Free, visit kiesha.org

Calling someone resilient is usually meant as a compliment.  And for many years, Kiesha hoped to be more resilient.  But her experience of pushing past fibromyalgia pain, weathering the negativity directed at Black women, and also learning more about how we inherit trauma from our ancestral line, has caused her to rethink her expectations around what it means to "bounce back" and press forward.

Episode Resources: 

• This episode features perspective on epigenetic inheritance of trauma in Black families from Jacquelyn Clemmons, of De La Luz Wellness.  Please see her full text here: Black Families Have Inherited Trauma, but We Can Change That (healthline.com)
• Pre-order Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey 
• Order Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde 
• Other YOU Better Book Recommendations
• Listen to my interview on the Black Resilience Podcast

Contact Info:

• Send booking inquiries for Kiesha to emcee or moderate events or speak to info at kieshagarrison.co
• Kiesha on IG: @kiesha_garrison

Directly support the podcast financially:

• Cash App
• Venmo
• PayPal.Me

To connect with host Kiesha B. Free, visit kiesha.org

Kiesha met Nyah Peyton in LuvvNation, an online community founded by NY Times Best-selling author,  Luvvie Ajayi Jones.  Together, Nyah and Kiesha co-host Sunday Souls Sessions in LuvvNation, a monthly event about mind, body, and soul wellness discussions in a safe space.   Arkansas native Nyah is a college student who also happens to be the author of the book In Favor of Everything Right, published in 2020. In this episode, Nyah shares some of her reflections about how easy it is to be super firm in your own point of view when you haven't necessarily been in someone else's shoes. And she also touches on the power of freeing yourself with your own truth.

Episode Resources:

• In Favor Of Everything Right: Peyton, Nyah Jewel: 9780578716534: Amazon.com: Books
• Rising Troublemaker: A Fear-Fighter Manual for Teens
• Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual
• Live Free: Exceed Your Highest Expectations
• Other YOU Better Recommendations
• Join LuvvNation

Contact Info

• Send booking inquiries for Kiesha to (info at kieshagarrison.co)
• Kiesha on IG: @kiesha_garrison

Directly support the podcast financially:

• Cash App
• Venmo
• PayPal.Me

To connect with host Kiesha B. Free, visit kiesha.org

In this episode, Kiesha shares her thoughts about some of the faulty ways we think about self-development and then is joined in conversation by Les Alfred, the founder of Balanced Black Girl, an online wellness community and podcast focused on health, wellness, and self-care from the perspectives of Black women. Together they talk about the self-development trap - this seemingly endless pursuit of things we can fix about ourselves - and Les shares learnings from her own self-love journey. The two also discuss tips for learning from our subconscious and our memories and how to engage in healthy self-awareness inquiry so you can be real with yourself about who you are and where you really are in your journey.

Enjoy the lessons from this very observant woman who has made a habit out of observing what is and isn't working in her life and then making choices to chart an intentional, better path for her future.

Episode Resources:

• Episode 106: Having A Healthy Relationship with Yourself + Breaking Through the Self-Development Trap - Balanced Black Girl
• Unapologetically Dreaming Big + The Dreams I Dream - Balanced Black Girl
• How to Keep a Dream Journal: 3 Benefits of Dream Journaling - 2022 - MasterClass

Contact Info

• Send booking inquiries for Kiesha to (info at kieshagarrison.co)
• Kiesha on IG: @kiesha_garrison
• Balanced Black Girl on IG @balancedblackgirlpodcast

Directly support the podcast financially:

• Cash App
• Venmo
• PayPal.Me

To connect with host Kiesha B. Free, visit kiesha.org

In this episode, Kiesha heads over to Australia (virtually!) to connect with Phill Nosworthy to indulge in mutual curiosity about how it feels to grow and how you compassionately guide yourself when you find yourself at the edge of growth.  The two discuss the idea of slowing down to move at the speed of wisdom so you can do less, better. And they also talk about how to tackle that gap between all those things you learn and the things you actually put into practice. 

At the time this episode airs in March of 2022, our human family on the east coast of Australia are being impacted by severe flooding.  After an initial crisis such as this, recovery takes anywhere from weeks to years. And the trauma lingers for quite some time.  Please send well-wishes and for a list of practical ways you can help, check out this article from the Guardian. 

Episode Resources:

• Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman (Author)
• When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamin Labatut (Author)Adrian Nathan West (Translator)
• Internal Family Systems Therapy, Second Edition, Richard C. Schwartz (Author)Martha Sweezy (Author)
• Psychology of the Unconscious, Carl Jung (Author)Beatrice M. Hinkle (Translator)
• Man and His Symbols, C. G. Jung (Author)
• The Nap Ministry  - Founder, Tricia Hersey

Contact Info

• Send booking inquiries for Kiesha to (info at kieshagarrison.co)
• Kiesha on IG: @kiesha_garrison
• The Nosworthy Group

Directly support the podcast financially:

• Cash App
• Venmo
• PayPal.Me

To connect with host Kiesha B. Free, visit kiesha.org

Kiesha and A. Jade Smith met on the internet 20 years ago and bonded over a shared connection to the phrase "Happiness takes courage."  The two come together for a conversation that begins with discussing the idea of the purpose in our lives…and then Jade reflects on how her journey found her looking for purpose and value of her life through things such as finances, jobs, and relationships outside of herself.  She then shares about life-saving advice from friends, a period of deep self-inquiry, pausing to face herself, and a commitment to inspire others to answer the call to courage. 

Resources from this episode:

Book Recommendations:

• A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "a Course in Miracles" - Marianne Williamson
• Loving What Is, Revised Edition: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life – Byron Katie

Music: 

• Bravebird - Amel Larrieux - YouTube

Contact Info

• Send booking inquiries for Kiesha to (info at kieshagarrison.co)
• Kiesha on IG: @kiesha_garrison

Directly support the podcast financially:

• Cash App
• Venmo
• PayPal.Me

To connect with host Kiesha B. Free, visit kiesha.org

Detroit native and Morehouse Man, Mark Hatcher, sits down with Kiesha to share his life story.  He talks through his journey from his premature birth to his mother's guidance which provided inspiration for how he moves with purpose and how he fathers his elementary school aged daughter Maris Mays.  He also celebrates the goodness that was poured into him on the campus of historic Morehouse College.  Take in this story of a Black man whose model of manhood highlights community care, service-based leadership and honoring black femininity.  There are lessons here about being open to new ideas and perspectives and about letting go of the quest for perfection

Resources from this episode:

Mindfulness Resources

• Oprah and Deepak 21-Day Meditation Experience; Great for beginners
• Sleep Cove Guided Medications: Large variety of options and scenarios
• 12-Minute Meditation: A resource for specified mindfulness

Books Recommendations 

• The Alchemist: Great book for personal centering and finding all that you are looking for within yourself.
• Four Agreements: Simple book for redefining what's important and refocusing
• Before I Forget ; A novel loosely based on a true story helped me with understanding parenting and lineage.
• Tuesday's with Morrie: Great book based upon a true story, highlighting the importance of connectivity with other humans
• God's Debris: Considers a subjective look at God's Omnipotence.
• The Professional Troublemaker – by Luvvie Ajayi Jones - Learn how to cause some good trouble.
• The Quotations of Mayor Coleman A. Young

Contact Info

• Send booking inquiries for Kiesha to (info at kieshagarrison.co)
• Kiesha on IG: @kiesha_garrison

Directly support the podcast financially:

• Cash App
• Venmo
• PayPal.Me

To connect with host Kiesha B. Free, visit kiesha.org

Kiesha and Yaribel became fast friends after finding one another frequenting the same online spaces, cheering for the same authors and generally being in community with each other digitally.  In this episode, the two dig into a conversation about identity and community and how we can be impacted by genuine and connected love from others who live in alignment with our purpose and vision.  Yaribel shares stories from her life as a Black Latina growing up in Washington Heights in NYC and the responsibility she feels as one of the "guardians of the community garden." 

Shop book recommendations from this episode:

• Ratchetdemic: Reimagining Academic Success a book by Christopher Emdin (bookshop.org)
• All about Love: New Visions a book by Bell Hooks (bookshop.org)
• Black Imagination: Black Voices on Black Futures a book by Natasha Marin and Steven Dunn (bookshop.org)
• One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race a book by Yaba Blay (bookshop.org)
• Introduction_to_Dominican_Blackness_Web.pdf (cuny.edu)
• You can check out more recommendations in the YOU Better Bookshop

Book Kiesha at https://kieshagarrison.co

Find Yaribel online: Yaribel on Instagram (@yari.mercedes)

Directly support the podcast financially:

• Cash App
• Venmo
• PayPal.Me

To connect with host Kiesha B. Free, visit kiesha.org

What happens when you feel like your environment does not properly reflect love back to you?  On this episode of YOU Better! Charles E. Sims Jr. reflects on his melancholy filled childhood and his journey to seeing himself as a “60-year-old late bloomer.” This self-proclaimed prisoner of hope also shares his learnings about self now that he is experiencing the ultimate safe space with his boyfriend. 

Shop book recommendations from this episode:

• The Bluest Eye a book by Toni Morrison (bookshop.org)
• Song of Solomon a book by Toni Morrison (bookshop.org)
• You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience a book by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown (bookshop.org)
• The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir a book by Jenifer Lewis (bookshop.org)
• You can check out more recommendations in the YOU Better Bookshop

Book Kiesha at https://kieshagarrison.co

Directly support the podcast financially:

• Cash App
• Venmo
• PayPal.Me

To connect with host Kiesha B. Free, visit kiesha.org

In this episode, we talk about what it looks like to go on a healing journey towards self-love.  Kiesha is joined by a dear friend who has made her life’s work about helping others understand and get to “the work.” Her name is Tira Feierstein, and she is a writer, artist and spiritual thought leader who is passionate about helping other woman feel less alone on their journey. Through her artful expression and storytelling, it is her mission to help illuminate a path of authenticity and healing for feminine empowerment. Her work focuses on women, but fellas, rest assured that this episode has lots of goodness for you too.  In this interview, Tira takes us through her insight about the important steps in a self-love journey with some of her personal reflections along the way.

Find Tira Online:

• Tira on Instagram @her_story_project

Shop book recommendations from this episode:

• All about Love: New Visions a book by Bell Hooks (bookshop.org)
• Toxic Parents: Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life a book by Susan Forward (bookshop.org)
• Clarity & Connection a book by Yung Pueblo (bookshop.org)
• You can check out more recommendations in the YOU Better Bookshop

Book Kiesha at https://kieshagarrison.co

Directly support the podcast financially:

• Cash App
• Venmo
• PayPal.Me

To connect with host Kiesha B. Free, visit kiesha.org