What happens when the body asks us to slow down — and we finally listen?

In this episode, I sit down with Arielle Díaz, a Peabody and GLAAD-nominated television writer and producer whose career has spanned Netflix, Prime Video, FOX, and Disney+. She’s also an angel investor, former Googler, and passionate advocate for inclusive wellness.

After stepping away from the grind of a high-performing career to heal from chronic illness, Arielle found herself on a deeper journey—through plant medicine, family constellation therapy, nervous system repair, and reconnecting with her roots in Mexico.

Together we talk about what it really means to pivot from achievement to alignment, the courage it takes to untangle old narratives of worth, and the radical clarity that comes from allowing the body to lead. Arielle’s story is an invitation to honor our rhythms, trust the pauses, and remember that healing is its own form of success.

Connect with Arielle:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/she.is.that/?hl=en 

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

Crystal Jones is a licensed therapist, Internal Family Systems (IFS) Trainer, and the founder of Life Source Counseling Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Her work creates sacred spaces where BIPOC women can feel truly seen, valued, and supported on their healing journeys.

As an IFS trainer and consultant, Crystal has mentored therapists and practitioners worldwide, guiding them toward deeper self-awareness and inner harmony. She is also a clinical supervisor, Master Reiki Practitioner, and advocate for holistic healing—integrating tools like prayer, sacred movement, and meditation into her practice.

In our conversation, Crystal and I explore what it means to listen to the parts of ourselves we often silence, the unique power of IFS in BIPOC healing spaces, and how honoring every part of who we are—even the ones we’ve judged or pushed away—can be a revolutionary act of self-love.

Connect with Crystal:
Website: https://lifesourcecounselingcenter.com/staff/about-crystal-jones/

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

Therapy resources:

• Loveland Foundation: https://thelovelandfoundation.org/
• Clinicians of Color: https://www.cliniciansofcolor.org/
• Therapy For Black Girls: https://providers.therapyforblackgirls.com/ 
• Manhattan Alternative: https://www.manhattanalternative.com/ 

In this solo episode, I’m breaking down two of the questions I get asked the most: What is somatics? and What’s the difference between coaching and therapy? We’ll explore how your body communicates with your brain (spoiler: it’s way more than you think), why I weave somatic practices into life coaching, and how coaching and therapy can work beautifully together. If you’ve ever wondered which one you need, or how to listen to your body’s wisdom more deeply, this one’s for you.

Connect with me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

Chrissy King is a writer, educator, and former strength coach whose voice is helping to redefine wellness—not as a destination, but as a practice rooted in liberation, identity, and radical self-acceptance. In this powerful conversation, Chrissy opens up about her personal path to body liberation and the experiences that inspired her book, The Body Liberation Project.

Together, we explore what it really means to feel at home in your body, the illusion of arriving at "confidence," and why unlearning societal messages about worth and appearance is a lifelong process. Chrissy’s work sits at the intersection of race, body image, and justice, reminding us that healing is both personal and political—and that we are already enough, exactly as we are.

If you’ve ever felt like your body was a problem to solve, this episode will meet you with compassion, truth, and a powerful invitation to take up space.

Connect with Chrissy:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamchrissyking/
Website: https://www.chrissyking.com/
Purchase The Body Liberation Project: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-body-liberation-project-how-understanding-race-identity-and-culture-compounds-the-shame-we-feel-and-how-to-shift-the-narrative-to-reclaim-our-worthiness-chrissy-king/18835036

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

Daria Burke has lived many lives—fashion executive, C-suite leader, trauma survivor, and now, debut author. In this powerful conversation, Daria opens up about the moments that shaped her new memoir Of My Own Making and the healing journey that unfolded in the process. From growing up in poverty with an absent father and a mother battling addiction, to finding freedom through therapy, neuroscience, and deep self-examination, Daria reminds us that we are not our origin stories, we are who we choose to become. This episode explores trauma, resilience, reparenting, and the science behind post-traumatic growth. If you’ve ever wondered whether you can rewrite your story, Daria is proof that you can.

Connect with Daria:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dariaburke/
Website: https://www.dariaburke.com/
Purchase Of My Own Making: https://www.amazon.com/My-Own-Making-Memoir/dp/1538766809 

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/ 

Stay tuned for more updates on Substack and Instagram.

Tapping back in! 

Find out what I've been up to and what's in store for the next phase of the podcast. 

Thank you for hanging tight and staying loyal.

Stay tuned for more updates on Substack and Instagram.

Listen in as host Shanetta McDonald shares insights into a quick personal story of Surrender and how we can all invite the shift/perspective into our lives, in the season 3 finale of The Motif Podcast.

Thank you for your support and for being a vital part of keeping this community alive. We can’t wait to share more with you in season 4. In the meantime, don't forget to check out some of our older episodes that you may have missed from previous seasons. And , be sure to visit our Instagram for highlights from some of our favorites.

Connect with us:
Instagram: @ourmotif
Twitter: @ourmotif
Facebook: @ourmotif
Newsletter sign-up: ourmotif.co 

Feel free to leave us a rating + review if you’ve enjoyed this episode. + remember to subscribe to receive alerts on our upcoming episodes. 

Award winning executive marketer, investor and educator Tiffany Hardin inspires women of color to become conscious hustlers, as founder of Gild Creative Group, an influencer marketing agency that focuses on bringing conscious marketing to big ideas.

Some of Tiffany’s client work has included: Airbnb, WeWork, Target, Microsoft, Cobble, Ovia, HBO, Wethos, Black Girl in Om, Heal Haus and more. Additionally, she’s worked with hundreds of influencers and celebrities on branded social campaigns.  

Tiffany considers herself and her team 'Conscious Hustlers'  who spend time focused on serving clients who are innovating and elevating the well-being of culture through strategy, influencer marketing, and partnerships. 

In this week’s episode, Tiffany and host Shanetta McDonald get deep about:

• Discovering and using our voices to express our experiences as Black women in America.
• The glorification of entrepreneurship + Tiffany’s advice for women of color embarking on the journey. 
• Following our spiritual calling and allowing ourselves to be guided to true alignment.

Connect with Tiffany Hardin:
https://www.gildcreativegroup.com/
Gild Creative Group’s Instagram: @gildcreativegroup
Tiffany’s Instagram: @tiffany_hardin

Connect with us:
Instagram: @ourmotif
Twitter: @ourmotif
Facebook: @ourmotif
Newsletter sign-up: ourmotif.co 

Entrepreneur Telsha Anderson-Boone encourages women of color to confidently enter spaces that lack our representation, as founder and owner of t.a., a luxury boutique based in New York City in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.

A former social media consultant for Food & Wine, Hypebeast, and Atlantic Records, and an influencer manager at a Fashion PR firm, Telsha began ideating on the launching t.a., while pursuing her master’s in brand management from NYU. A series of minor thoughts led her to the final moment of creating t.a., including how she was treated in the workplace, her interest in entrepreneurship, and ultimately her desire to share the dialogue surrounding Black ownership. So, she took a leap and allowed her hard work to guide her towards success.

In this week’s episode, Telsha and host Shanetta McDonald get into:

• The evolution of Black and brown women being a part of the changing narrative in fashion.
• Using spirituality as a tool for moving through fear.
• Tips for entrepreneurs in their season of growth.

Connect with Telsha:
https://shop-ta.com/
t.a’s Instagram: @t.a.newyork
Telsha Anderson’s Instagram: @telshaanderson

Connect with us:
Instagram: @ourmotif
Twitter: @ourmotif
Facebook: @ourmotif
Newsletter sign-up: ourmotif.co 

Feel free to leave us a rating + review if you’ve enjoyed this episode. + remember to subscribe to receive alerts on our upcoming episodes.