Cocoa Butter and Communion

Liberation through Travel: A Conversation with Royal Williams

Hey village! My Nia sister, Queen Royal is here! She is new to my village and I am glad that she is on the show sharing about her experiences globe trotting, by her doggone self. She shares about her experiences of living abroad, being a migrant-not an expat, and her reasons behind her reason to leave the United States. She shares about being treated as a Black woman in other countries and discussed this concept of American privilege when globetrotting. She has even convinced me (as of this show's recording) to give scuba diving a chance (we'll see LOL). 
Royal Williams started her travel journey in 2010 after spending a transformative year in Spain, where she immersed herself in the vibrant culture and mastered the Spanish language. Upon her return to the US, she was gripped by wanderlust, but because her college friends often lacked the time or funds to join her adventures, Royal discovered solo travel.
In 2013, two weeks after graduating from an HBCU, Oakwood University in Hunstville, Alabama, she took her passion a step further by moving to Bogota, Colombia to teach. Using her summer vacations to backpack around the world, Royal became adept at navigating new landscapes, staying in hostels, and even Couch surfing. During her travels to 51 countries and time living on 4 continents, she found that many women expressed difficulties making friends at home, but she noticed she consistently found meaningful connections while traveling. This compelled her to start her company Yup! She Travels, a company that curates cultural experiences for Black women. Currently, the experiences focus on AfroColombian culture in Medellin, Cali, and Cartagena Colombia. Additionally, driven by her enriching experiences abroad and her educational background, Royal founded Yup! We Travel with the mission to provide meaningful culturally immersive experiences and internships in Colombia for university students. Royal's own experiences studying and interning abroad during college profoundly shaped her worldview, and she is passionate about offering similar opportunities to help others grow and thrive.
After 7 years as an English and Spanish teacher between Colombia and the US, Royal decided to pursue her longtime dream to be a Psychologist and received a Masters from Pepperdine University. She currently works in the research lab of Dr. Shelly Harrell. In this lab she discovered Liberation Psychology. Royal is interested in the well-being of Black women when they leave the US, and would like to research that. She plans on pursuing a doctoral degree in Psychology. 
Follow her on IG @yupshetravels
https://www.yupshetravels.com/
Tik Tok: yup.shetravels
 

Empowerment through Self-Care and Reflection: A Conversation with Dr. Cecile Gadson

Hey Village! This episode, I am chatting with one of my newest comrades, Dr. Cecile Gadson. We are Nia sisters from Costa Rica (we talk more about what that is on the episode)! Our conversation explores the experiences of Black women and girls, particularly in academic and professional settings and the need to address historical legacies of anti-Blackness and implement effective interventions to facilitate healing from race-based traumatic experiences. Dr. Gadson also highlights the significance of joy, laughter, and community in the liberation of Black women. 
Dr. Gadson, is a staff psychologist and African American/Black student specialist at theUniversity of Oregon’s counseling services (University Health Services). Her primary clinical interests include trauma, discrimination-based stress, depression, family concerns, women’s wellness, mindfulness, religion/spirituality concerns, and multicultural/Black psychology. She is a certified Sawubona healing circle trainer and facilitator. She is also trained in soulfulness mindfulness, a BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) focused mediation under the scholarship of Dr. Shelly Harrell. As a scholar, she researches the gendered racial microaggression experiences of Black girls. Given her training from a Scientist-Practitioner-Advocate model, she believes it is important to not only integrate multiculturally competent research, clinical practice, and social justice advocacy for her clients in the therapy room, but also advocate for social issues that impact clients outside the therapy room. She finds justice and joy in creating and co-creatingprotected and empowering healing spaces for Black folx. She is a proud McNair scholar, an active member in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Association of Black Psychologists, and APA’s division seventeen.
Dr. Cecile is reading All About Love by bell hooks 
I am reading the Salt Eaters by Toni Cade Bombara 
Follow the show on IG @groundedrootscollective 

Reproductive Health and Our Bodies: A Conversation with Dr. Akiba Green

Hey Village, the doctor will see us now. In this episode, I am chatting with Dr. Green to discuss the importance of sharing reproductive health information within our families and our communities. Dr. Green emphasizes the need for comprehensive sex education and the importance of understanding one's own body and how to address the anxiety about going to the gynecologist ("You're going to put what where?"). She also gives recommendations for preparing for these visits. The conversation also touches on the disparities in black maternal health and the need for women to feel safe and empowered in their healthcare decisions.
Dr. Akiba Green is a Board-Certified Osteopathic Obstetrician/Gynecologist who has over 20 years experience with women's health issues. Dr. Green provides care for women of all ages, before, during and after their pregnancies. She is guided by the values of compassion and respect, while delivering continuity of care to patients—from initial assessment to operational procedures.
Follow the show @groundedrootscollective this is the home of the podcast, as well as Grounded Roots Therapy Collective. 
 
 
 

Stories from our Soul with Imani Mitchell

Imani Mitchell is back and it feels good to catch up! Her and I discuss quitting jobs (y'all, don't just go and quit your job and then put that on us) and the freedom that can come from it; navigating an artistic space, and ALL THEE AWARDS that she received from her dynamic production of Zora and Langston. Imani discusses the power in the diverse storytelling that go well beyond the narrative of Black resilience. Imani is directing a new play, "Crumbs from the Table of Joy" that will debut October 11th!! (I am going to the thea-tuhhh) 
 
Imani is a multidisciplinary artist based in Northern California who specializes in writing, directing, and acting. For the past 10 years, she has worked as a professional actor and is the founder of the film production company IAM Studios. Authenticity in storytelling is crucial to Imani's work as an artist and she strives to produce projects that introduce new narratives and experiences. 
 
Imani is currently reading "When we were Colored" by Eva Rutland and I am reading, "The Salt Eaters" by Toni Cade Bombara
 
For the summer, Imani has been listening to "Empath" by Willow Smith and I have been listening to "Mad Love" by Infinity Song. 
 
Check out Imani's website www.imanimitchell.com and follow her on IG @imaniakika for all things related to ALL she is doing. 
 
Check out Crumbs from the Table of Joy on October 11th at Celebration Arts in Sacramento, California 
 
 
 

Cocoa Butter and Communion is bizaaaack

Heeyyyy Village! Y'all, it is SEASON 3 of Cocoa Butter and Communion! Village, I was acting like I was in the 4th grade, on summer vacation, eating up all the snacks... running up all the electricity. It felt good to break. I want that for ALL of us. This episode is giving you the updates in my own life, including leaving my 9-5 job, and sharing about the importance of building community (in my perspective, of course 😊). 
I am reading "The Salt Eaters" by Toni Cade Bombara (amazing read!) 
Follow the show on IG @groundedrootscollective 

Mindfulness for All. FOR ALL.

Hi Village! It's just me this week, chatting it up about mindfulness, listening to "Euphoria" and "Not Like Us," wrapping up the son's school year, starting my summer session, and transitioning into a new role in my life. 
Enjoy the episode. Love y'all. 

Helicopter Moms? We're Fine with That (Insert Jordan Shrug): A Conversation with Niambi Lewis

Hey Village! Happy May! Happy pre-Mothers Day for y'all who celebrate yourself as mamas or you celebrate others as mamas. 
One of my favorite people stops by and we ask ourselves, is being a helicopter mom such a bad thing? Or is it the epitome of loving your kids? My guest, Niambi Lewis, and I talk about raising our sons, the relationship we have with them, and becoming the mothers that we are proud of. We also share about relationships changing and rediscovering self. She also beat me in Black Trivia but it was close. We both put up a fight (the game went multiple rounds). 
Niambi Lewis leads the Perinatal Equity Section at which houses the Black Infant Health Program, Perinatal Equity Initiative, two programs designed to support Black women and birthing people in having healthy pregnancies.   For over 20 years, she has been employed by the State of California with over a decade of that service working within departments in the Health and Human Services Agency, supporting her desire to work for programs that serve communities most impacted by the effects of structural racism.  She is the mother, wife, sister and daughter to some of the most AMAZING people in the world.  A self-sorted Ravenclaw, she loves all things Harry Potter, concerts and traveling.  An ideal day would include reading a good book while taking a bubble bath.
Niambi is reading a book that has 59 parts to it and it is an almost Harry Potter themed book. 
I am reading "We Should All Be Millionaires" by Rachel Rodgers
Follow the show on IG @groundedrootscollective and check out my new website www.groundedrootscollective.com here you will find show videos (hopefully soon), information about therapy, and so much more :). 

Empowering Community through Gun Ownership and Safety: A Conversation with Nakita Price

Hey Village! Happy May! On the show, I am chatting with the lovely Nakita Price. We discuss Black folks and gun ownership, the second amendment for all, gun safety, what is needed to own a gun. Nakita discusses how vital it was for her to pivot, using her skillset to make moves happen. 
Nakita Price is an Oak Park native (a neighborhood in South Sacramento, CA) and she is a wife and mother of 4 children and she is a grandma to 2 grandchildren. 
Nakita is the owner of 3rd Eye Watching, a Black woman owned and operated training facility in Sacramento, California. She educates, trains, and empowers her students (the students who are underrepresented or misjudged, women, LGBTQIA + community, the elderly, the disabled... the minority populations) to have the confidence and tools needed to defend themselves and their loved ones. an NRA, DOJ, & BSIS Certified Firearms Instructor, DOJ Certified Live Scan Fingerprint Technician, DOJ approved Live Scan and Ink Fingerprinting location, Licensed California Ammunition Vendor, an approved Sacramento County CCW Instructor and she provides quarterly range qualifications for law enforcement. She has an Associates of Science Degree in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in Police Studies and a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. 
Visit her website at https://www.3rdeyewatching.com/ 
Follow her on Facebook at 3rd Eye Watching and on IG @3rd_eye_watching_226_
Make sure you subscribe and like the podcast! 
 

Writing as a Medicine: A Conversation with Rowana Abbensetts-Dobson

Hey Village! Y'all know how much I love a good book and I love the people who know a great story to publish those good books. Black writers, writers of color, and other marginalized voices have had their stories silenced. It is so important to have these stories shared and luckily, there are people like Rowana, who see the value in those stories and does her absolute best to share them to the mainstream. 
This week, I am chatting with Rowana Abbensetts-Dobson,  a Guyanese-American writer, author of Departure Story, and founder of Spoken Black Girl, a publishing & media company that promotes mental health and wellness among Black women & women of color by amplifying emerging voices. Rowana has had fiction and poetry published in Moko Magazine, Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora, Culture Push, When We Exhale: Anthology of Black Women Rooted in Ancestral Medicine, and Free Verse Magazine. As a freelance health and wellness writer, Rowana has written for Insider, GoodRx, Well +Good, Bold Culture by Streamline Media, The Tempest, Insider, and Electric Lit.
Rowana is reading: "The Black Girls Guide to Financial Freedom" by Paris Woods 
Chioko is reading: "Get Good with Money" by Tiffany Aliche 
 
Follow Rowana on social media! 
Instagram: @Rowana_a and @Spokenblackgirlmag
Twitter: @Rowana_a
@Spokenblackgirl
Facebook:  @Spokenblackgirl
Website: Spokenblackgirl.com
Follow the Cocoa Butter and Communion Podcast on IG @groundedrootscollective 
 

In a 90s Kind of World, I'm Glad I Got My Girl: Chatting with Jessica Brown

Hey Village! THEE Jessica Brown is back and as always, we spend a lot of time key-keying. Jess just celebrated a birthday and y'all, it was a time to be had... not what she expected, not what anyone expected. Good news for y'all, we provide a synopsis. Jessica talks about online dating (some of y'all need coaches) and how to be the love you seek. 
Jessica is an all around amazing human being, mom of two BEAUTIFUL babies, a director of behavioral health, she is in school full time getting her SECOND master's degree, she raps, tells jokes, and she is gorgeous, of course (shout out to her mama for the genetics... hey mama J). 
Jessica is reading "How to be the Love you Seek: Break Cycles, Find Peace, and Heal Your Relationships" by Dr. Nicole LaPera 
When Jesica and I need to transition in parts of our life, we listen to gangsta rap and Sunshine Anderson 
Follow the show on IG @cocoabutterandcommunion 
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