The Lion Learns To Write

Supermalcom is what I call a #dancerpreneur. Founder of SuperstepsAcademy.com and Www.Aquafitpro.Co.Uk hailing from Congo, France and UK, Malcom Wa Mbombo Mbombo talks to me about his journeys in dance, business and African history!  He reveals why he chose to work for himself, the cultural challenges of dancing full time, and the importance of role models on his journey, and how the Congolese fight to survive has manifested itself in various chapters of his life so far

Mechanikool and I have an interesting conversation about his 20+ years of dance so far, racism, his ability to use empathy to create a space for discourse with mindsets that different to his own, and the impact dealing with depression in his late teens had on where he is today. We talk about building good relationships and being observant so not to lose sight of who you are in the midst of what life may throw at you, and I also learned how analytical his mind is to be able to connect dots while not assuming his view is the only one out there. With all that's going on in the world, there's something we can take from stepping back to understand the bigger picture and what's actually important.

Today, Sara Dos Santos and I follow her experiences from Portugal to East London, gumboots to social inclusion and international cultural policies in arts, and why self care is so important. We talk about faith and activism, loyalty, burnouts and connection. We explore her relationship with sports and arts growing up, and how her not being chosen spurned a desire to create her own spaces and messages for the world to see. It seems Toni Morrison was right - If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, you must be the one to write it.

This episode is packed! I sit with Joe and we talk about his relationship with Zimbabwe, UK, art, music, mental health and his experiences navigating as a young black male in Britain. We talk about early father figures, choice and identity, language, the role of deeds to replace addictions, his relationship with death, trauma, and a higher power. We even set a #ThirdQuarterChallenge - to wake up every night, ask for what you want in life, and send us a voicenote at www.anchor.fm/tlltw/message with your results!

Mariama is founder of Smiling Through Light and the One Child One Lamp Campaign - She buys certified solar lamps from manufacturers and employs women as agents to sell them at affordable prices to their communities, at a mark up that pays for their salaries and company overheads. She explains her desire for international development but how working in the solar industry as a woman has brought challenges in the commercial and private spaces. This has led to her developing a scheme that supports men to champion other men to support the women, who will ultimately become more independent - all this, in a context where the idea of an independent woman can challenge the status quo.

Today I sat with Isaac Ouro Gnao, the Togo born, international and multidisciplinary artist journalist and poet and creator of The Oreo Complex, living in London. We talk about his current relationship with both Togo and UK spaces and cultures, and their impact on his journey communicating his socio-political messages through words and movement. For me, this was a reconnection story. His Ewe roots are manifesting in his mindset and development of ritual entertainment - bringing culture to the stage. 

"If you think small is insignificant, try being locked in a room at night with 1 mosquito" Usifu Jalloh, of the Cowfoot Prince documentary, is a Sierra Leonean scholar, keynote speaker, drummer, activist, transformative storyteller, founder of the annual Maambena Fest in Kamakwie, and co-founder of the National Storytelling Festival, Freetown. We talk about his own history and experiences, his views on education, religion and how to approach FGM issues, how to develop knowledge and love of self, and how this can affect your experience navigating the world

This week, I talk to Oluwatosin (Tina) Omotosho and we start at the beginning. We talk about what she remembers of living in Lagos, Nigeria, the culture and temperature shock of moving to UK, and how she felt she had to remain resilient to survive school in north west London. We touch on her career working for a charity and her experiences in the corporate world as a young black woman, and her relationship and history with dance as a form of both expression and therapy, which led to the birth of #Mouvement21 and #MondayMouves which have grown into entire communities that stretch around the world

Some may know Nancy as founder of @NigerianYouthInDiasporaOrg but we delve into her experience as a British born Nigerian growing up in Nigeria but living in UK. We explore how her culture and thinking differs from those around her, her curiosity in cultures, and how having God as her anchor has helped her stand firm in who she is regardless of her environment. We even talk about business and how from a young age she knew that her gift and her why, is people!

I catch up with Karim about his journey of identity through dance, diversity and inclusion, and his company, New Beings. We talk about an early experience with a teacher and what that prepared him for, his change in profession, the impact of SOAS and the black female councillor who made him feel validated, his career in diversity and inclusion, and why its important that spaces like New Beings, where people can discuss and explore issues around identity, exist

Bekky is a dance physio and founder of Safe In Motion currently living in Austria, but moving to London. We talk about her relationship with dance, risk physiotherapy, her family, Austria and UK, and the rehabilitation process when doctors told her she could not walk for months. We talk about the psychology of her mind and those around her, the support/lack of, and how her awareness of self through meditation helped her keep hold of who she is. 

Joe Faulkner has an incredible story about how and why he started The Krio Kanteen, and how he uses it to introduce Sierra Leone culture into different spaces.

We talk about the power of support from our communities, taking ownership and doing things for ourselves, and the positive and negative impacts of traditional thinking

Joe Faulkner has an incredible story about how and why he started The Krio Kanteen, and how he uses it to introduce Sierra Leone culture into different spaces.

In part 1, we talk about his relationship with Sierra Leone as foundation of his identity, the value he sees in its culture, history and people, and the identity crisis of Sierra Leoneans in the continent and diaspora

Nyasha was born in Zimbabwe, lived most her life in UK and now in Sweden empowering disadvantaged refugee communities in an innovation space. We talk about that, where she calls home and how she feels about it, how she manages her mental health, and about her relationship with gratitude. She's a creative and a connector, so a lot of her work helps people grow so is in a place to see the effects of that on people's perception of identity

In this extra long episode, I was blessed to sit with Michael Lutterodt-Quarcoo - Business Development Manager at Invest in Africa and founder of www.atcp.co - who drops tangible information, strategies and sources for anyone looking to build their knowledge of African contributions to history. We talk about identity's role in empowerment, his journey from finding out he was 'black' when he moved to UK and challenging the position of African nations from age 10, to working in African affairs, learning under ‘the Black History Man’ Robin Walker, and why he felt A Tribe Called Progress had to exist as a counter to various internal and external enemies of progress. Get your notepads ready, and prepare to update your reading lists!

This is the second part of a conversation with Sitsofe. We talk about her relationship with psychologists, GPs, lack of being seen, and why she believes eurocentric institutions don't make space for her lived experiences. We talk about her body and affect that diet has had to create balance, and even her self as an empath and how she protects her own self and suggests how those with the same gift can do the same. She also announces her new business at www.sitsofewellness.com coming soon, offering 1-2-1s, group therapy, and corporate packages.

This is the second half of a conversation with Sia and we get personal and talk about mental health. Before that, we use her reading list of "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe, "Heart Of A Woman", by Dr Maya Angelou, "Milk And Honey" by Rupi Kaur, "The Little Book Of Thinking Big" by Richard Newton and "The Thing Around Your Neck" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as stimulus to touch on the meaning and power of a name, your connection to culture, maintaining holistic health, and empowering yourself to define your self.

This is the first half of a conversation with Sia and we use her reading list of "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe, "Heart Of A Woman", by Dr Maya Angelou, "Milk And Honey" by Rupi Kaur, "The Little Book Of Thinking Big" by Richard Newton and "The Thing Around Your Neck" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as stimulus to touch on the meaning and power of a name, your connection to culture, maintaining holistic health, and empowering yourself to define your self. 

We're live! This is a podcast hosted by @AndreBright, founder of www.becomeimmersive.co.uk talking about the idea of this podcast, birthed from a keynote speech at #SLACfest about reclaiming narratives through identity, empowerment and creativity!