Stop leaving those heart eye emojis under that girl's picture and slide in her DMs if you really want her attention!

Episode 104: Heart Eye Emoji

In this mini solo episode, Dr. Thema explores the profound connection between the loss of grief and the gifts of grief. She shares insights on how to cultivate inner peace and resilience amidst the life challenge of grief, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and intentional practice. Discover how embracing love’s imprint even in grief can lead to a more fulfilling existence. To learn more about coping with the pain of grief, check out Homecoming episodes 88 and 142 and Dr. Thema's books Homecoming, Reclaim Yourself, and Matters of the Heart.

Episode #225: The Unspoken Gifts of Grief

Dr. Thema and Dené Logan discuss the social pressures to conform and the negative effects of self erasure on individuals and relationships. Dene shares her incredible journey of reclaiming and her sense of self and the ripple effect this process had on her understanding of genuine intimacy.

Dené Logan is a Relationship Coach and Therapist, a group facilitator, and an author based in Los Angeles.

In addition to working with clients in private practice, she is a mindfulness coach, a yoga teacher, and specializes in supporting others

in showing up more authentically in all of their relationships - including (and perhaps most importantly) in the relationship with themselves.

Dené utilizes her background in depth psychology to infuse archetypes, ritual, and metaphysics

into the exploration of how each of us can reclaim the aspects of our authentic selves that we’ve been culturally conditioned

to turn away from in an attempt to maintain attachments.

Her first book, Sovereign Love: A Guide to Healing Relationships by Reclaiming the Masculine and Feminine Within,

is available now. You can connect with Dené further at denelogan.com or on IG: @dene.logan

Don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe and share.

Music by Joy Jones.

Episode #227 Reclaiming Life After Divorce with Dene Logan

Dr. Thema and Allie explore body positivity, confidence, and joy despite the realities of fat phobia. Allie shares the importance of supportive parents and faith as she pursues her dreams of modeling. Despite encountering biases from leaders in schools, faith communities, and the modeling industry, Allie victoriously reclaims and celebrates herself. 
Allison Sowle is a model and storyteller who’s passionate about body positivity, self-acceptance, and navigating life transitions. Originally from a small Midwestern town, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue modeling and has worked to challenge fatphobia in the fashion industry while staying grounded in her own confidence and joy. 
Allison also shares her journey of embracing visible skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, inspiring others to feel at home in their own bodies. 
For more support on your journey, check out Dr. Thema’s books Matters of the Heart, Reclaim Yourself, and Homecoming. As you listen to this episode, don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe, and share. Music by Joy Jones.

Episode #226: Being at Home in Your Body with Allison Sowle

Dr. Deniz Ahmadinia joins Dr. Thema to share her personal psychological and cultural journey of being a cycle breaker and how you can become one too. They explore the role of self awareness, truth, and wisdom as you reclaim your authentic self. Generational patterns are present but don't have the final say on who we can become.
Dr. Deniz Ahmadinia is a licensed clinical psychologist, survivor of childhood sexual abuse, and mother of two boys whose work bridges psychology, somatic and parts work, and intuitive energy healing. She holds a master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Southern California and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, and she is an international speaker who has shared her work on embodied trauma healing with audiences in the U.S. and abroad.
Dr. Deniz works with clients in her Beverly Hills practice and through her online programs—Heal the Inner Child and Cycle Breaker Collective—guiding survivors in transforming trauma into truth, embodiment, and self-trust. Her integrative approach emerged through her own healing journey, using somatic and parts work to help clear the body of trauma’s residue so that something greater—the self that remembers—can emerge.
Take a listen and don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, and share. Music by Joy Jones.

Episode #228: Being a Cycle Breaker with Dr. Deniz Ahmadinia

wale is absolutely right, everything is a lot. 

Episode 105:  everything is a lot

Filmmaker, author, and journalist, Esther Armah joins Dr. Thema to discuss the pressure and expectation of emotional caretaking placed on Black women as well as our pathway to healing and liberation. They explore the emotional and physical costs of being an emotional mammy and the psychological and social steps to freeing one's self from these societal expectations. Esther A. Armah is an author, former international award-winning journalist, film-maker and playwright. Esther is author of ‘EMOTIONAL JUSTICE: a roadmap for racial healing’ Emotional Justice is a racial healing roadmap Esther created over a 15-year period through assignment, research and community engagement in Accra, Philadelphia, Cape Town, London, Chicago and New York. She is CEO, The Armah Institute of Emotional Justice, a global non-profit devising, developing, designing and delivering programming for international human rights organizations, global philanthropy, social justice organizations and academia.


As a journalist she has worked in London, New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. As a playwright, she has written five plays, that have been produced and performed in New York, Chicago, and Accra. As a film-maker, her short film is called ‘…goodbye to the EMOTIONAL MAMMY.’ which centers Black women’s wellness and the emotional weight we carry. Throughout 2025, she’s done a global screening and dialogue tour for this short film across the US and Africa, in New York, Ghana, South Africa and Washington DC.

Don't forget to like, subscribe, share, and comment. Music by Joy Jones.

Episode #229 Liberated from Being an Emotional Mammy with Esther Armah

Grace Amaku and Dr. Thema explore the truth about people pleasing, depression, and handling conflict. They unpack how to honor yourself and make courageous decisions to reclaim your peace. Grace Amaku is a nurse turned comedy queen whose viral character work has earned her features with Forbes and Essence, four years creating content for the Oscars, and collaborations with icons like Serena Williams, Ariana Grande, Kerry Washington, and Omar Sy. She hosts Get Reel with Grace Amaku, a film-first podcast where comedy and culture collide. Music by Joy Jones. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share.

Episode #230 Healing People Pleasing with Grace Amaku

Dr. Anita shares her homecoming journey as a multi-gifted person. She is a New York Times bestselling author, trauma therapist, and interim lead pastor of One Church in Los Angeles. Along with discussing her multiple callings, she and Dr. Thema explore her heart's journey post-divorce which includes both healing and re-opening her heart to new possibilities. Widely recognized as a thought leader at the intersection of mental health, faith, and culture, Dr. Anita holds degrees from the University of Maryland and Regent University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is a dynamic speaker and podcast host who adores her family and friends, a good pint of ice cream, and sitting by the ocean. 

Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast
info@nextdaypodcast.com

Episode #231: Embracing Change and Expansion with Dr. Anita Phillips

Dr. Thema has an inspiring conversation with her father Bishop Bryant about his journey moving from being a late bloomer as a youth to a champion for spiritual and political liberation. He shares what helped him to launch as someone who struggled with academics and behavior as a result of fear. He shares his success story and his wisdom for parents who are raising children who have not yet flourished. Bishop John Richard Bryant is the son of the late Bishop Harrison James Bryant and Edith Holland Bryant. He was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland and is a graduate of Baltimore City College High School and is a graduate of Morgan State University in his hometown. After college, Bishop Bryant joined the Peace Corps and served as a volunteer in West Africa from 1965 to 1967. He has taken seriously the words "study to show thyself approved…" Bishop Bryant received his B.A. in 1965 from Morgan State University, Master of Theology in 1970 from the Boston University School of Theology and a Doctor of Ministry degree in 1975 from the Colgate Rochester Divinity School. He also receivedseveral Honorary Doctoral Degrees from Wilberforce University, Paul Quinn College, Payne Theological Seminary, the Southern California School of Ministry, Virginia Seminary and his alma mater, Morgan State University. In addition, he was honored as an outstanding alumni of Boston University School of Theology and was inducted into the Baltimore City College High School Hall of Fame. Bishop Bryant was a Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellow and while pursuing his doctoral studies at Colgate Rochester Divinity School, he completed special studies at the University of Lagos [Nigeria] and the University of Ghana at Legon and served as a Peace Corp volunteer. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share.

Episode #232 From Late Bloomer to Liberation Chamption with Bishop John Bryant

“Who could we become and who are we if we define ourselves in ways other than just being oppressed and under siege?” The wisdom of Margo Okazawa-Rey in this podcast radiates, y’all. We are so excited for you to hear it.

In this episode, we talk more about Margo’s journey into and through activism as one that is a deeply personal endeavor, from being a founding member of the historic Black feminist Combahee River Collective to pursuing international peacemaking work and liberation efforts. Together, we discuss how local health injustices in the United States are connected to global struggles for liberation and freedom and why loving, authentic relationships are critical to defeating individualistic and othering mindsets that have plagued many of today’s societies. 

By the end of this episode we hope y’all note these wise words from Margo: Our future depends on freedom spaces. Our future depends on authentic, loving relationships. Our future depends on moving with joy. Our future depends on us. 

Bio:

Margo Okazawa-Rey is an activist and educator working on issues of militarism, armed conflict and violence against women. Margo was a member of the historic Black feminist Combahee River Collective. She is a founding member of the Afro-Asian Relations Council, East Asia-U.S. Women’s Network Against Militarism, and the Institute for Multiracial Justice and the International Network of Women Against Militarism. She has a long standing relationship to social justice work in South Korea and with the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling in Palestine. 

Margo is co-author of “A Black Feminist Statement” (1978) with the Combahee River Collective and co-editor of Activist Scholarship: Antiracism, Feminism and Social Change (2009), and of Women’s Lives, Multicultural Perspectives (1998) and author of Beyond Heroes and Holidays: A Practical Guide to Anti-Racist, Multicultural Curriculum and Staff Development (1998). Margo is currently Elihu Root Peace Fund Visiting Professor in Women’s Studies at the Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California. She is also professor Emrita at San Francisco State University and has held the Jane Watson Irwin Chair at Hamilton College.

S2Ep7: Margo Okazawa-Rey: Creating Freedom Spaces for Love, Justice, and Transformation

We are Woke WOC Docs, a podcast about the lives of womxn of color in medicine/health justice, including their unique experiences, viewpoints, and struggles in education, research, and practice. We want to reveal the insights we as womxn of color uniquely have on how medicine can transform to end health injustices and be a better institution of health, well-being, and healing.

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