Free to Grow with Jerome Mbaga
A 17-year-old ran away from home and started a podcast. Join Jerome Mbaga on Free to Grow every Tuesday for an unfiltered journey as he rebuilds his life, seeks freedom from trauma, and explores philosophy through raw stories and personal growth. Listen wherever you get podcasts and watch the video version on Spotify and YouTube. If you want your thoughts discussed then send them to the link in bio. Instagram: @Jerome.mbaga
Episodes
Inspired by Wild Geese, a poem written by Mary Oliver, this episode dissects the thoughts behind changes off made to my personality, university major, and daily habits. Serving as testament to the importance and beauty of change. Everyone is a lot more lost than we would like to admit; it's time we talk about it!
Chapters
00:00 Quick recap
00:35 Poem Reading
02:30 Big changes were made
05:30 Thesis (if you will)
08:40 A ch...
Universal truth is a myth and extremism is winning. Maya Fuerstenberg joins the show to dive into why religion divides us, what we sacrifice just to belong, and why the simple practices, such as Modeh Ani, is the radical reset we need in a world where nothing is guaranteed.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:50 Meet Maya
04:00 GenZ vs Religion
12:40 Lack of a middle ground
15:20 Echo-Chambers
19:00 How smart people approach any con...
When does "representation" become a cage? In this episode, I read my essay "The Endangered Future of Black Artists." We’re breaking down why the art world’s obsession with "trauma-porn" and performative diversity is actually silencing the very creators it claims to celebrate. It’s time to move past the "boxed" identity and allow Black artists the freedom to simply exist.Chapters00:00 Post-rec...
Why do we all draw aliens the exact same way? In this episode, we’re dismantling the "factory settings" of reality. We explore the silly social propaganda that secretly runs our lives—from the marketing genius that convinced us diamonds equal love, to the absolute lie that penne is the only pasta for vodka sauce. Join us as we debunk the "sugar high," fix the world map, and defend vanilla’s reputation. It’s time to unlearn the defa...
A detailed summarization of how me and my girlfriend met, lived together, and do long-distance! (Lowkey both half asleep)
Chapters
00:00 First guest on the podcast?
00:46 Story of how we met
08:10 Living together (Communication)
21:15 Long-distance (Common fears)
36:24 How we've impacted each other
43:30 Important to remember
With houses leaving the market everyday, securing housing has become a task we can no longer ignore. What has helped me is envisioning who I want to be next year, finding the right group, and using every hack in the book. Let's talk about!
Chapters
00:00 everything went wrong
02:04 Topics
02:46 Personal vision board
06:46 Key to finding your group
08:57 Questions to ask yourself
13:56 Resources for finding houses
16:50...
I'm turning eighteen! Time to stop committing crimes. This episode shares with you five things I've been waiting for my birthday to complete, commentary on "the real world", and the most important lesson I have learned in my 18 years of life. I hope you find the relatable or useful in some way!
Chapters
00:00 Week Recap
01:38 Podcast is growing!
02:12 5 things I'm doing on my birthday
09:54 The real worl...
After my first (rough) week of midterms, I want to share my experience with overconfidence, trying to catchup following my exams, and the best quote a teacher has ever told me.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:13 The hard truth
07:55 Life-changing quote
10:53 Getting through annoying weeks
14:23 After the storm
Everyone needs someone you can count on when you're going through a hard week. For me it was Jake! Starting with my love for Calvin & Hobbes stories, Jake has become a fundamental piece of my life. What about your teddy bear?
Why do we attach profound meaning to moments, music, and people? In this introspective episode, we dive deep into the craving for emotional depth. We explore the beautiful, complicated, and sometimes messy reasons we look for a connection that feels bigger than ourselves.
00:00 We're growing
03:06 My reasons
15:30 Playing judge
24:30 Best music for this vibe
The average human says 10,000 - 20,000 words every single day yet still falls short from hearing others or feeling that the words hold weight. How do you fix this? Recognizing that you might not always be right. Join me while I talk about ways I’ve struggled and succeeded with this ideology!
00:34 What I've been up to
06:35 You're being self-destructive
10:11 Storytime
15:04 Something to learn now
19:43 Promise yourself ...
Ever stare into a closet full of clothes and feel like you have nothing to wear? Me too. We're smashing that problem for good. This episode breaks down fashion as a tool for self-expression, how to build a personalized style (without breaking the bank), and exposing the top 3 worst fashion trends right now. Instead of telling you to wear tight skinny jeans and dad jokes t-shirts like younger me, i’ll finish by putting you on to...
In light of recent events, Jerome pays respect, evaluates, and comments on the influence of Right-wing activist, Charlie Kirk. Jerome discusses the importance of universal ideologies while inviting you to criticize his logic.
00:00 Hello + my posters
02:21 Conversation perspective
03:35 Why this episode?
09:40 Universability
16:50 Why a good opinion ACTUALLY matters
19:26 Politics & Morality
23:20 My full opinion
24:21 Final com...
Turning up the pace, Jerome discusses the 7 main lessons he has taken away from university over his first week. Regardless of your attention span, you will leave this episode with a sense of relatability, relief, or confidence!
00:00 Introduction
00:42 Making friends
01:39 Chill dawg
02:47 It's ok
03:39 Best organization software/system
04:58 Showing up for people
05:50 Roommate/friend hack
06:57 Advice you need to hear
07:3...
After waiting for as long as he could remember, Jerome finally moves away for university. Stepping into opportunity, he discuss how setting small or large goals can often be useless unless...
00:00 Moving to university!
02:30 The optimal version of you
06:04 How to format goals
08:48 Why this method is better
10:54 My experience
13:26 Closing
Going back to kindergarten lessons, Jerome discuss the challenges and joys that come with making new friends! However amazing you are, this episode is bound to teach you something! (or so they say)
00:00 Hey!
01:44 Why do we want to have friends?
02:48 The secret trick
11:28 Where to find friends
15:19 My biggest piece of advice
23:30 My kindergarten bully
25:59 Just say hi
Moving to university in two weeks, I talk about facing some uncomfortable fears that come with moving away and how to navigate through it. I hope this helps you through whatever move you are making!
00:00 Life Recap
05:27 Natural emotions
07:12 Past fears
11:50 Present fears
15:30 Future fears
24:23 Takeaway
Finally taking a chill pill on serious discusions, episode 3 talks about my little joys in life and most likely some of yours :)
00:00 Overview of my week
02:53 Weirdly Specific Top 5
07:35 Odd Top 5
15:00 Deep Top 5
Turning the pen to you, Jerome Mbaga invites listeners to reflect and question the current direction of their life. Faced with a terrifying philospical question, Jerome discusses the importance of grounding ones self to find stabilty in themselves, their life, and time.
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