mornings with moni

Dr. Erika Austin is a transformational coach that specializes in helping women navigating grief or trauma. From breakups to the sudden loss of a spouse or pet, Dr. Erika Austin shares some of the coaching and mindfulness tools she has learned on her own journey to self-discovery and living a full life.  You can learn more about Dr. Erika Austin at drerikaaustin.com, or Instagram at @drerikaaustin.  You can also read the original blog feature on morningswithmoni.com 

In this episode, I speak with Jennifer Jones, founder of "Beauty Marks 4 Girls," a nonprofit based in South Carolina that provides mentorship and leadership skills to young girls impacted by parental incarceration. Jennifer Jones shares her personal experience navigating her mom's incarceration as a teen, and why giving young girls guidance and mentorship is so critical to their growth and well-being.  You can read the original blog feature here: https://morningswithmoni.com/2020/09/02/nonprofit-provides-mentorship-leadership-skills-to-girls-impacted-by-parental-incarceration/ You can support and learn more about Jennifer's nonprofit here: https://beautymarks4girls.com/ Thanks for listening. Be sure to support, share, and subscribe to the mornings with moni podcast! 

Andrea's Healthy Kitchen, founded by Tatiana Pacheco, is a Latina-owned small business that offers a range of healthy detox juice and meal options in El Monte, CA.  Recently, Tatiana lost her brick-and-mortar shop to a devastating fire. With an outpouring of donations and support from the community, she is ready to rebuild her dream with a second location and a tentative opening date of November 2020 in the same city. Learn more about Tatiana's journey here: https://morningswithmoni.com/2018/08/21/andreas-healthy-kitchen-latina-detox-juice/ Learn more about  Andrea's Healthy Kitchen: https://www.andreashealthykitchen.com/

Kamini Natarajan is an Indian classical singer and the founder of Kirtan with Kamini, a community gathering that is open to all people who wish to listen to meditative chants, soulful ragas, and music dedicated to Hindu gods and goddesses. Kamini discusses her musical influences and journey immigrating to the U.S. in search of a close-knit kirtan community. To learn more about Kamini, visit kaminimusic.com  To read more about Kamini, visit https://morningswithmoni.com/2018/08/31/kirtan-with-kamini-a-spiritual-and-meditative-journey/ 

Rachel Mayta from Portland, Oregon, talks about embracing our differences and taking the time to do what makes our souls happy. Mayta is a survivor of childhood cancer and an advocate for providing better representation and support for "one-eyed men and women" across the globe. In this interview, we talk about what inspired her to become a barber, some of the challenges she's had with depth perception, and how she's worked around it to follow her dreams. We also discuss some of the common misconceptions, stereotypes, or questions that others may have about individuals with one eye.  To read the original blog post based off of this podcast, please visit: https://morningswithmoni.com/2019/04/12/one-eyed-and-wonderful-barber-rachel-mayta-on-self-love/ To learn more about Rachel Mayta, please visit: instagram.com/oneeyed_andwonderful 

I talk to North Carolina-based mental health advocate Pooja Mehta about South Asian mental health, navigating schizoid anxiety and depression, and her latest Project I Define Me initiative, which highlights the real stories behind mental illness. To learn more about Project I Define me, visit projectidefineme.com or instagram.com/projectidefineme. 

Artist Réna King immigrated from Barbados to the United States when she was four years old. During her early childhood and teen years, she always struggled with her identity as a Black woman in a country where she felt her roots were not heavily tied to. In this podcast episode, I interview Réna about her artistic journey, Bajan roots, and how her art aims to uplift the voices and narratives of women of color. She also discusses the harmful erasure of narratives from Black history and how her art aims to dispel common myths and stereotypes about the Caribbean Island, Barbados.  Read the original blog post here:  https://morningswithmoni.com/2020/07/13/black-artist-recreates-through-mini-portrait-series/ Learn more about Réna King and her art here: https://www.instagram.com/re_creates_art/ More about the host, Monica Luhar: monicaluhar.com