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

Dr. Marcus joins Dr. Thema to discuss the importance of holistic reparations as they explore his thought provoking book in light of the American Psychological Association resolution on Individual, Collective, and Intergenerational Trauma Recovery: Considering the Restorative Roles of Resttition and Reparations.
Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter is a professor of sociology and African American studies at UCLA. He is also the author of "Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation," among other titles. In his last book, he talks about the many forms of reparations and things the nation can do to bring healing and repair to descendants of enslaved Africans. He is committed to raising awareness about the many contributions of Black people towards building the United States of America.

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

Episode #233 Repair: Healing the Nation with Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter

Police violence and law enforcement violence is a pressing public health issue. Period. In particular, indigenous, Black, Latinx, disabled, mentally ill and poor people are disproportionately targeted by police violence. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Rupa Marya who co-leads the Justice Study, a community-based study that researches health outcomes in communities where there is police violence and no justice. We talk about what true community partnership means, how art & music blend with Rupa's justice work, and how we can use white coat  privileges to join in the fight for the communities that continue to experience trauma related to law enforcement violence.

For more about the Justice Study, visit: https://www.donoharmcoalition.org/the-justice-study-english.html

Bio:
Rupa Marya, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine within the Division of Hospital Medicine. Her interests center around the intersection of society and illness, focusing research on how social structures may predispose different disadvantaged groups to certain illnesses. She is Faculty Director of the Do No Harm Coalition, a 450+ member strong group of health workers and students dedicated to ending racism and state violence. 

In partnership with Dr Sara Jumping Eagle, Dr Linda Black Elk and MASS Design Group, she is currently helping to set up the Mni Wiconi Health Clinic at Standing Rock, at the invitation of Lakota and Dakota health leaders to create a space for the practice of Decolonized Medicine. She is the co-investigator of The Justice Study, a national effort to understand the link between police violence and health outcomes in communities most affected by that violence. 

Since residency at UCSF, she has been the composer and front-woman for the international touring group Rupa & the April Fishes, a project that uses music as a way to explore the intersection of society and disease.

Summer Series Ep1: Police Violence as a Public Health Issue with Dr. Rupa Marya

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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