Cocoa Butter and Communion

The Complexities of Forgiveness

Hey Village! Guess who's bizaack? Jessica is! Nothing gives me greater joy than laughing but to laugh with my bestie is one of the best feelings. This episode, Jessica and I are talking about the complexity of forgiveness and what that truly means to us. We also share songs that we were singing, at a young age, that we had NO business singing (where were our mamas?) 
Make sure to follow the show on IG @cocoabutterandcommunion 
Email for comments or questions cocoabutterandcommunion@gmail.com 
Visit the NEW website (thanks THERESA!!!!) www.cocoabutterandcommunion.com 
I look forward to hearing from y'all. Enjoy the show. 

Ouch... When the Church Hurts

We are discussing church hurt this week. Hear me out... many of us have been hurt by the church. Maybe you felt the sting if you had a baby in your adolescent years, or maybe you started to embrace who you fully were and came out as gay or trans... maybe you wore red fingernail polish and the church mothers whispered behind your back. Or maybe your church has failed to address the value of Black lives and have preached sermons to smile when a victimizer harms you and others that look like you... all of this and other stories have led to many folks in the community being hurt by the church. 
This week, I am talking to my friend, Lamar J. Pringle, former pastor about being hurt by the church. He shares his insight and wisdom, the acknowledgment of church hurt, growing up in the church, what he is up to now and his journey to healing. 
 

The Beauty of a Sisterhood

In my Shug Avery voice (sing it with me)
"Sister,you've been on my mindSister, we're two of a kindSo sister,I'm keepin' my eyes on you... "
This is what I hum to myself every time I think of the sisterhood I am fortunate to have. This week's episode I am fortunate to have chatted with my dear sister girlfriends, Jessica and Shannon. We are broadcasting LIVE ya'll at Shannon's hair salon, Naturalistic Hair Salon and Spa! We talk sisterhood, growing, heartbreak and the joy of being in community with one another. 
Shannon and Jessica are both listening to Beyonce's Renaissance album. 
Chioko is listening to Shirley Murdock "Go on Without You" (Shirley was always cutting up and I LOVE it) 
Shannon is reading: Marriage Be Hard by Kevin and Melissa Fredericks 
Jessica is reading: Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit by Sister Afua 
Chioko is reading: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
 
Follow Naturalistic Hair Salon and Spa on IG at @naturalisticsalon 
Follow Talya's Sweet Treats @talyas_sweet_treats to order your holiday deliciousness 

Healing and Redemption

This week, I am chatting with my cousin, Dion (with the good hair) about incarceration, the fighter spirit, healing and joy. Our conversation was enlightening and needed. I hope you all enjoy. 
Dion is reading text for a promotion and I am reading articles on betrayal trauma for class. Dion is listening to Bay Area (Yayyyy Arrreeeaaaa) rap and I am listening to Tevin Campbell's "I'm Ready" album (Tevin was my 10 year old dream husband). 
Let me know your thoughts! Send me an email at cocoabutterandcommunion@gmail.com and follow me on IG @cocoabutterandcommunion 
 
For mental health providers near you, please visit: 
Clinicians of Color www.cliniciansofcolor.org
Therapy for Black Girls www.therapyforblackgirls.com 
TherapyDen www.therapyden.com 
 

Love & Marriage

The spouse is in the hizzouse. I had the honor of having my husband, Daniel, stop by Cocoa Butter and Communion to share with EVERYONE the joys of being married to me and how easy it is. Well... to find out if that is true, you are just going to need to tune in, won't ya?
We talk about how our journey started, how we love, what love means to us and how he had the nerve to pull the 'ol bait and switch when it came to his preference over East coast hip hop. 
The books that Daniel is reading:
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
Behold a Pale Horse by Milton William Cooper 
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Manual of the Warrior of the Light by  Paulo Coelho
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The music Daniel is listening to: 
Kendrick Lamar  (All the albums)
Immortal Technique (All the albums)
Brother Ali
Blue Scholars 
Rage Against the Machine 
Black Violin 
 
For mental health providers near you, please visit: 
Clinicians of Color www.cliniciansofcolor.org
Therapy for Black Girls www.therapyforblackgirls.com 
TherapyDen www.therapyden.com 
 

Talking Womanism and the All the Foolishness with Malikka

My lovely guest, Malikka stops by and discusses womanism, blackness, the tomfoolery she sees on Eartha Kitt's internet  that is making her teeth itch and finding her own joy. 
Malikka is reading: What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker by Damon Young 
Chioko is reading: White Tears/Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad 
Malikka is listening to: The Forever Story (Artist: JID), Age/Sex/Location (Ari Lennox), Zyah Belle (Yam Grier) 
Chioko is listening to: Phyllis Hyman (more specifically "You Know How to Love Me" and "Betcha By Golly Wow" 
Follow Malikka on Facebook (Tackling Tomfoolery), IG (@tacklingtomfool) and the Twitter (@MalikkaRodgers)

Let’s Talk About Sex Baybee (In our Salt-N-Pepa Voice)

Dr. Ericka Burns stopped by and it was my pleasure to talk to her about...well, pleasure. Tune in to hear our discussion about pleasure mapping, raising sex positive kids, fantasy novels and of course, Beyonce. 
Check out what Dr. Burns is reading:
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir 
Is it time for "the talk"? visit: www.sexpositivefamilies.com 
Follow Dr. Burns on IG, Twitter and Tik Tok (when she is not banned lol) @DrErickaB 
 

The Vulnerability Cape

This is a good one y'all. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Theresa Fortune; mama, activist, author, actress, filmmaker and beautiful spirit. We talk about the heat (we were going through a heatwave), vulnerability in relationships and in the community. For information on her film, please check her out on IG @fromtheashes_oakland or go to her website, www.fromtheashes.media/ 
 

Heeeeyyy Village, One time for the First Episode

Y'all! It is the first episode of Cocoa Butter and Communion, the podcast that discusses relationships within families, friends and celebrates the complexities and beauty of Black folks. We are going to be addressing real shit and I am excited to do it with all of you, The Village. Wanna stay in touch? Contact me via email at cocoabutterandcommunion@gmail.com  , check me out on IG @cocoabutterandcommunion and follow me on Twitter @CBandCommunion