February 17, 2025 • 41 mins
Hey friend! This solo episode emphasizes reflection, personal growth, and community engagement as we continue to move through 2025. Tune in for valuable insights into goal setting, self-care, creative exploration, and nurturing meaningful relationships.
• Check-in and engagement with listeners
• Announcement of participation in Afros & Audio's Heard! Series
• Importance of taking breaks and relieving pressure on consistency
• Setting goals for the new year and valuable resources
• Significance of celebrating milestones and the "Jesus year"
• Physical and mental wellness practices shared
• Exploring social connections and the value of volunteering
• Reflection on financial wellness and healing money mindset
• Concluding with themes of devotion and community celebration
Episode Resources:
- Heard! Afros & Audio’s Black History Month Series with Talib Jasir: Redefining Creativity: Aliya Brown on Creativity, Growth & Purposeful Connections. Listen & Watch!
- Justin Michael Williams’ Manifest NYE Vision Writing Workshop
- Danielle Robay PrettySmart Podcast: The 2025 Leap: 5 Life-Changing Moves for the Year Ahead
- Free 2025 Action Plan workbook [requires newsletter sign-up]
- Balanced Black Girl Podcast: [Solo] episode called Plan with Me for 2025: Creating A Plan to Reach Your Goals
- Magic in the United States: The Stars Ascending
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- Send a voice note or text!
- Rate & review the podcast!
- Support the show with a Recurring Gift!
Follow the @theprolifichubpod on your favorite SM platforms!
Watch full interviews here on YouTube!
Join me over on Substack!
Check out my favorite brands and snag a discount!
Grab a guided journal here or visit aliyacheyanne.com to learn more!
Are you a creative, solopreneur or entrepreneur who’d like to be featured on The Prolific Hub Podcast? Let me know here!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Aliya Cheyanne (00:00):
Hey friend, how are you, how have you been and
how are you holding up witheverything right now?
Because it's been a lot.
We just started 2025 and itfeels like it's been a whole
year already.
It's insane.
Let me know how you're doing ina text to the show, using the
(00:24):
text the show link in theepisode description or in a
comment on Spotify or YouTube,or in a review on Apple Podcasts
or wherever you listen to theshow.
Quick announcement I am soexcited to be part of Afro's and
Audio's 2025 HERD Black HistoryMonth interview series.
(00:46):
I got to sit down with Afro'sand Audio founder Talib Jasir,
who will be a future guest onthis show very soon, for a great
interview to talk about allthings creativity and podcasting
.
So if you'd like to hear morefrom me and my conversation with
Talib, check out my episode onHEARD.
It's called RedefiningCreativity Aaliyah Brown on
(01:08):
Creativity, growth andPurposeful Connections, and that
will be linked in the shownotes slash episode description.
So, yay, tune in and let meknow what you think.
So in December 2024, I let youall know that I was going to be
taking a much needed break tospend time with family, enjoy
(01:32):
the holidays and justconcentrate on some other
projects and I did that and I'mstill doing that, and it was
definitely a much needed breakand much needed time off, and
I've been excited to jump backinto some more episodes of the
show, with great interviews withincredible guests and creating
(01:55):
new solo episodes as well.
That being said, I also usedthat time to reassess a lot of
things.
Going forward with the podcast,I'm putting less pressure on
myself with the show, as much asI love the conversations I have
with guests and sharing mythoughts, I'm taking the
pressure off of myself to doepisodes every single week.
(02:17):
Nobody required me to do that.
That's just been something I'vewanted to do in the name of
consistency, in the name ofgrowing the show, in the name of
giving myself some sort ofregular routine with creating
this project and publishing newepisodes and going forward.
(02:38):
I'm taking that self-imposedpressure off of myself.
There are plenty of shows thatare daily, weekly, bi-weekly,
monthly, bi-monthly, etc.
And I'm not beholden to aschedule outside of the one that
I set.
Frequency might look a littledifferent in 2025 and beyond,
(03:01):
but I have this platform andbeyond but I have this platform.
This is my show.
I'm not getting rid of it.
It's always going to be herefor us to connect, and I trust
that the right people who needthis show, the people who are
meant to find it, will find it.
They'll support it and share itwith others who might need it
(03:21):
too.
I trust that we will continueto grow our prolific community.
There's no doubt in my mindabout that.
That being said, it's still veryearly in the year at the time
of this recording and Ipersonally believe that the
first few months of the year arefor reflection, plotting and
scheming and planting seeds.
(03:42):
So that's what I've been doingplotting and scheming and
planting seeds.
So that's what I've been doingSetting goals, creating action
plans and making some lifestylechanges.
I recently started listening tothe Pretty Smart podcast and
the host, danielle Robay,created a free 2025 action plan
workbook to really reflect andset goals for the year.
(04:03):
She did a podcast episode whereshe explains her action plan
process and the workbook, andit's great.
I'll link it in the show notes,but that's one tool that I've
used to kind of set myself upfor success for this year.
I love the Balanced Black Girlpodcast.
I've talked about it a fewtimes on this show.
It's a podcast that my sister,who is a former co-host of this
(04:28):
show, introduced me to, and thehost, les, did a solo episode
called Planned With Me for 2025,creating a Plan to Reach your
Goals, and that episode wasgreat and I'll also link that
one in the show notes.
I found that episode reallyvaluable and it really got my
brain working around what sortof goals I wanted to set for
(04:51):
myself for this year andcreating an action plan to
actually achieve those goals.
Something that really set thetone for my mood and my energy
for this year was a New Year'sEve and New Year's Day because I
did it twice.
I participated in a liverecording and then watched the
replay again of Justin MichaelWilliams's Manifest, new Year's
(05:15):
Eve Vision Writing Workshop tohelp me to visualize and tap
into the energy of the thingsI'm claiming and calling into my
life in 2025.
It was a beautiful workshop.
I did it by myself the firsttime.
I did it with my grandmotherthe next day and she really
enjoyed it.
I shared it with friends andfamily because I thought it was
(05:37):
really powerful and worthwhileto do.
Again, all of these resourcesI'll link them in the show notes
because it's not too late toreflect and make a plan.
You don't have to have it allfigured out right away.
Take the remainder of winter toreflect, set goals, plant seeds
for this year and beyond.
(05:58):
Besides, anyone who tells youthey have it all figured out is
lying, so don't believe that.
In other news, the podcastrecently celebrated an
anniversary on January 22nd.
Although the show has evolvedand will continue to evolve,
it's officially been around forthree years at the time of this
(06:20):
recording and publishing and I'mso proud of that.
I'm so proud of that.
But I will say, to be threeyears in and to have so little
reviews on Apple Podcasts, it'sactually sad and a little crazy.
So sometimes I'd be feelinglike, okay, should I hang it up?
Don't answer that unless youhave something nice to say.
(06:42):
But this is a plug that, ifyou've been tuning into the show
, if you are a consistentlistener, if you've enjoyed
multiple episodes of the show,if you keep coming back for more
, I would really appreciate itif you take a moment to write a
review for the show and justshare your thoughts, share your
feedback, share what keeps youcoming back for more.
(07:04):
It would mean a lot to mepersonally and it would help the
show out a lot.
It would help folks to discoverthe show.
It would help guests to feelmore inclined to come on the
show when they see so manypositive reviews and positive
feedbacks.
If you are listening on Spotifyor watching the show on YouTube
(07:26):
or listening to the audio onYouTube, you can always like
videos, you can always leavecomments, you can always share
episodes.
Make sure you're subscribed tothe channel and following the
show on your favorite podcastplatform.
If you're listening on ApplePodcasts, please take a moment
to go to the show and scroll allthe way down, past the episodes
(07:50):
, down to the area for ratingsand reviews, and be sure to
leave a five-star rating andplease take a couple of seconds
to write a positive review aboutthe show.
It would really help me andthis show tremendously for you
to take a moment to do that, andit's free.
So I look forward to seeingmore of your feedback and
(08:10):
engaging in that way.
Anyway, on top of the recentpodcast anniversary, I recently
celebrated my 33rd birthday.
At the end of January, I got tospend my birthday week.
Well, actually, I was downthere for two weeks in Florida
with my mom and my sisters.
I got a nice little break awayfrom the cold New York City
(08:33):
winter and it was so funny butnot funny.
When I first landed in Floridaand I stepped out of the airport
, it was cold, like cold in away that I don't expect for
Florida, and thankfully over thenext two weeks the temperature
climbed back up to normalFloridian temperatures.
But it was so bizarre to me tosee some Floridians in like
(08:57):
winter jackets and like lightjackets and bundled up and yeah,
but you know, in a Floridianway people will be warm on top
and still have flip-flops on thebottom or like warm on top and
still be in shorts.
It was, you know, it's Florida.
But it was nice to get away.
I didn't really want to do anybig major celebration.
(09:18):
The initial plan was to do afamily trip and travel somewhere
, which we didn't get to dobecause everybody needed to make
sure their passports werecurrent and not expired.
And since we didn't get to dothat, the plan was to just spend
the week, spend time with myfamily, and I didn't really want
(09:39):
to do a big celebration.
I didn't even want to eat out,to be honest.
I just kind of wanted to have anice meal at home and sit
around the table with everyone.
Yeah, my mom and my oldersister worked together to still
surprise me.
My mom caught me out of thehouse for a little while and my
(10:00):
sister, even though she wascoming home from work and tired,
still took time to like, getsome balloons and get a cake and
some other decorations, so thatwhen I walked back in the house
I was surprised and, of course,because I'm a giant crybaby, I
cried because I was genuinelysurprised and it felt really
(10:21):
nice to be loved and celebratedin that way.
So it was still sweet and itwas perfect for me.
If you've listened to anyepisode where I've talked about
astrology, you know I'm anAquarius sun, at least in
Western astrology.
In Vedic astrology I'm aCapricorn sun, but that's an
entirely different conversationfor another day.
(10:42):
Anyhow, make sure you check outthe following episodes if you
haven't already Episode 40,unlocking Potential with
Personality Tests andSelf-Development.
Episode 41, success Stardustand Social Justice featuring
Tracy L Rogers.
And episode 42, astrology howto use astrology for success.
(11:05):
I bring those episodes upbecause I mentioned astrology
and I think it is a powerfultool and modality that can
support us in a number of ways,and humans have used the stars
for centuries to help them totravel, to help them to know
when to plant and when toharvest, to track the cycles of
(11:27):
the moon and how that impactsour oceans, and so many other
things.
Even the three magi, or thethree wise men, used a star to
guide them to Jesus.
So, yeah, I think it's anincredible tool, and I actually
(11:49):
learned a lot more aboutastrology listening to a podcast
called magic.
In the united states they didan entire episode about the
history of astrology as we'vecome to know it in the west and
it was really informative.
There were things I evenlearned about it.
Perhaps I'll link that episodein the show notes for anyone who
would like to check it out aswell.
That episode is called theStars Ascending, so I'll be sure
(12:13):
to link it.
33rd birthday I know that's acolloquialism or a saying that
some people are familiar withand others are not to say it's
your Jesus year when you turn 33.
(12:34):
Don't ask me the officialorigin of that phrase.
I think it has something to dowith Jesus possibly being
crucified around the age of 33.
According to some scholars,others say somewhere between 30
and 40 or 33 and 40.
Who knows, but there is a lotof significance associated with
(12:56):
the number 33.
According to Google.
The number 33 is associatedwith a few different things.
So in Tibetan Buddhism, thehighest chakra, the crown chakra
, is represented by a flowerwith 33 downward pointing petals
.
In numerology, 33 is a masternumber that represents the
(13:17):
highest spiritual achievement.
The number of pairs of nervegroups that pass through the
spine is 33.
Number of turns in the humanDNA sequence is 33.
The number of years it takesthe sun to rise in the same spot
on the horizon is 33.
I do love the scientific andspiritual aspects of the number
(13:38):
33, so that's worth somethingright.
It's a special time of year forme, recently celebrating my 33rd
birthday and the third year ofthe podcast so very exciting
times.
The reason why I'm calling itmy resurrection year or my Jesus
year is definitely because I'mcontinuing to focus on wellness.
(14:00):
Since December, I've been doingmore at home workouts
consistently than I have in thepast.
Something that supported mewith that is doing challenges
with friends and having friendsbe accountability partners.
(14:21):
So in December and for part ofJanuary, I had done challenges
with a friend and we werechecking in regularly doing yoga
and Pilates.
Currently right now I'm doing achallenge with another friend.
We're doing some workouts fromGrow With Jo on YouTube and Grow
(14:43):
With Jo was recommended to meby my coach, actually because
it's helped her consistentlyinclude movement in her
day-to-day and she's also lost alot of weight doing that.
So I'm trying it out for myselfto see.
I'm leaning on tools that canmake it more cost-effective for
me to have the kind of lifestylethat I desire in a more
(15:04):
affordable way.
So I would love to be a regularacupuncture girly, a regular
sauna girly, but I'm having tofind ways to make that more
accessible and affordable for mein this season.
So something I've done is getan acupuncture mat which helps
to apply pressure to differentpoints in your body front, back,
(15:26):
feet, everything and I can layon that in different positions
and help to alleviate stress andhave certain pressure points
hit.
And it's more cost effectivefor me to do that at home at
this point.
I've also invested in a saunablanket.
One of the ways that I'vetypically enjoyed sauna is at
(15:47):
spas or in the past when I'vehad gym memberships and saunas
are available.
And right now, my best friendand I have done our best to
commit to quarterly visits to myfavorite spa, which is not in
New York, it's actually inVirginia, which means we drive
out for a weekend, we enjoy along spa day and then we drive
(16:08):
home and since that's onlyquarterly, I want to be able to
have some sort of saunaexperience more regularly than
that.
So one thing I've done isinvest in a sauna blanket and
that's been interesting to getaccustomed to and get used to,
but it has a lot of the samebenefits as being in an actual
sauna.
So I've been enjoying that alittle bit more.
(16:29):
At home.
Some basic things I'm trying topractice better dental hygiene
in the ways that I can at home.
So instead of using a regulartoothbrush, I've gotten myself
an electric toothbrush.
I'm doing water flossing now,like little things like that, to
just try to improve my physicalwellness, my appearance and
(16:52):
different things around thatnature.
So it's been good to invest inmyself in that way.
It's helped my mood, my energylevel a lot.
I've been trying to use moreface masks and do more
intentional skincare routineswith what I'm using to wash and
exfoliate and what I'm using tomoisturize and making sure I'm
(17:13):
wearing my sunscreen littlethings like that.
So just investing in myself ina way that feels good and feels
good in this season of my lifeand that I hope to continue to
do going forward, even beyond my30-30 year.
Mental and emotionalimprovements and investments
include talk therapy when I needit.
(17:34):
I've spoken about therapy onthe show many times.
I've gone to talk therapy onand off for years.
I remember being very young andtelling my dad that I wanted to
go to therapy and it not reallybeing taken seriously.
It was just kind of like, ok,we can do that if you need to,
(17:55):
but never really taking a moreproactive approach to getting me
that.
And then my first experience intherapy was actually in that I
can remember was actually inlike junior high school and it
was more family therapy becausemy mom and my stepdad at the
time were going through thingsand there were many things
(18:16):
happening in our household.
So we were all doing familytherapy.
And I think after that the nextmemory I had was just kind of
being like OK, if I'm not goingto get more individualized
therapy with help from myparents, I'm going to take it
into my own hands.
So I did when I was 18.
And the first resources Ichecked out were like free
(18:39):
resources in college and youknow, at that time it's students
getting practice and clinicalhours and stuff like that.
They're not like professionalsat that time, so it wasn't
really the most helpful thing,but I eventually went through
the process of finding atherapist that really worked for
me using the insurance I had atthe time, and it's been a
(19:02):
journey since.
I had one consistently for avery long time as a young adult.
I had gone through for a verylong time as a young adult.
I had gone through others laterin life and I have one that
I've worked with for the lastfew years now.
There was a period where wewere meeting weekly.
Now I'm at a stage with herwhere I don't meet with her
weekly.
I kind of just reach outwhenever I need to check in or
(19:23):
whenever I need boost sessions.
I'm very grateful for herbecause she keeps my usual times
slot open.
Like whenever I do reach out,even if it's like months in
between, I can usually get mysame slot.
So I'm very grateful for that.
For however long it lasts andit's lasted for like a year or
so.
I hope it continues.
But I also feel like talktherapy is one tool.
(19:47):
There are many other tools thatcan help and support us.
So there's somatic healing andtherapy and somatic movement,
and that's something I've beenreally interested in as well
like dropping more into my bodyand releasing emotions that way,
because that's also veryimportant.
The body really does keep thescore.
(20:07):
The body holds on to a lot oftrauma.
The body remembers energy andemotions that are stored in the
body.
If they are not processed andreleased properly, can lead to
health issues, can lead to lowerback pain, can lead to aches
and discomfort and dis-ease andall kinds of things.
(20:29):
So I think somatic healing isreally important.
I am getting back into mymeditation bag.
I used to meditate soconsistently.
I had built myself up to thepoint where I could sit down and
do like a 20-minute meditation.
No problem, no worries, justdrop into it and be good and
(20:50):
look up and, before I know it,wonder where the time went.
And I got out of that habit tothe point now where I'm having
to build myself back up to eventhat 20 minutes to some people
is nothing, 20 minutes to othersfeels like a long time and I
want to be able to get back tothe point where I can do that
more consistently and givemyself that time.
(21:11):
It doesn't have to be that muchtime every single day, but
making sure that I'm dedicatingsome amount of time to just
being quiet and being still andsitting with myself.
Journaling has been a tool thathas supported me for years, from
as early as grade school I canremember journaling up until now
(21:34):
to the point where I evencreated a guided journal, which
is always linked in the shownotes if you'd like to get a
copy.
But making sure that I'mjournaling consistently and
being mindful of different waysto journal.
I've always been a free-writegirly, but I've been exploring
other forms of journaling.
Something that Les, the host ofBalanced Black Girl, talks
(21:58):
about a lot is best-casescenario journaling Journaling
as if your day or whateveryou're thinking about has
already happened and it'shappened successfully and the
best possible case scenario hasalready happened.
And journaling that way as away to, like you know, program
your mind into believing thatand embodying that energy, but
(22:21):
also manifesting that as apotential outcome.
And that's something I want tobe mindful of and be practicing
more, more prompted journalingso that I'm thinking through
intentional things and alsocontinuing with free writing.
So that's a tool that I'm alsousing to support me mentally and
emotionally.
(22:42):
For me, humming and singing hasalways supported me and helped
me, if I've ever been reallyfrustrated or really down or
kind of in like a sad or notgreat mood, throwing on some
music and humming and singingalong and pouring my little
heart into it, even if I don'thave the best voice in the world
, has also been something thathelps me.
(23:05):
So continuing to lean into thatand getting back into
breathwork Breathwork is soimportant and helpful.
I do consider it anothersomatic healing tool because it
kind of forces you to drop intoyour body and be very present
with your breath and notice howyour breath is expanding your
belly, collapsing your belly anddifferent things and just being
(23:27):
really mindful.
So getting back into that andas a tool for nervous system
regulation, but also justhealthy living and making sure
that I'm really connected to mybreath.
And something that I want toget into is tapping.
Like it's not a new concept tome.
I've heard it many times in thepast but I've never done it
(23:50):
consistently and I actually wantto sit down with some guided
YouTube videos or something andbe more intentional about
tapping and just kind ofrewiring and reprogramming old
pathways in my brain to new onesfor my highest good.
So I'm leaning into that a lotthis season Spiritually, some of
those things for mental andemotional health overlap Same
(24:14):
with physical, like taking careof your body and your vessel is
very important for yourspiritual.
But making sure that I'm prayingintentionally and just
expressing a lot of gratitudeGratitude for existing and
living and answered prayers nowand gratitude for what's to come
so just making sure that I stayaligned with that and again,
(24:35):
meditating, but also thinkingabout rituals and routines that
keep me centered.
So for me, especially when it'snot freezing cold outside in
particular, but when theweather's really nice, like
grounding in nature, like beingbarefoot to the grass, putting
my feet in the grass, beinggrounded in that way, gazing at
(24:55):
the moon, gazing at the sun,gazing at the stars, watching
the breeze dance through treeleaves, imagining myself
connecting with their roots,touching them, and things like
that help to keep me reallygrounded and connected with
nature.
So that's something I'm lookingforward to doing more in the
spring and the summer and thefall.
And even if I don't feelinclined to do those types of
(25:20):
things as much during the winterbecause it's colder, at least
being connected to that feelingand visualizing the experience
and feeling close and tied tothat ritual helps to keep me
grounded as well.
Think for social, continuing tonurture my existing friendships
, making sure that I am stayingconnected, making sure that I am
(25:44):
reaching out to others as muchas they are reaching out to me.
Spending quality time, becausequality time is a love language
for me, not just romantically,but with any important
connection I have in my life.
So making sure that I'm doingthat and also giving myself
space and grace to cultivate newfriendships for the phase of my
life that I'm currently in,something that I want to lean
(26:06):
into more in 2025 and in my30-30 year and beyond is
volunteering.
Like it is so important for meto get back to volunteering.
I have not done it in such along time and anytime I
volunteered in the past, I'vealways felt like so good after
knowing that I used my time andmy hands and my energy to do
something helpful and meaningfulfor others.
(26:28):
So I need to get back into thatfor sure.
I'm not sure exactly what thatlooks like right now, but I have
some ideas about how I'd liketo do it and I'll be continuing
to explore that.
Like whether that'svolunteering at a soup kitchen,
whether that's buildingsomething with my hands.
I've helped groups to buildgardening boxes for homes with
(26:51):
people with special needs sothat they can garden right in
the backyard of that home.
Or cleaning up yards andlandscaping for people who might
not be able to do it themselves.
Or packaging meals for peoplewho might be experiencing
homelessness and hand deliveringit to them.
(27:11):
Or even volunteering at aschool and helping them to do
basic paint jobs that haveneeded to get done for a while,
that they haven't been able todo, or helping to build outdoor
furniture so that young peoplecan enjoy, like the rooftop of
the school or wherever there areopen areas where they can sit
and relax, and things like that.
So I want to get back to usingmy hands and volunteering my
(27:34):
time and my energy in that way.
So that's something I've beenthinking about a lot.
For financial, I am in a placewhere I am still working to heal
money wounds.
I am thinking a lot about bookslike the Energy of Money and
the Psychology of Money andstaying in the energy of money
(27:54):
being a tool and a resource tohelp me create the life that I
desire An energy exchange ofreward and a blessing and a
basic need being met for thethings that I create and put out
into the world and being ableto support myself and my loved
ones in the way that I desire.
I want to be in a space where Iam treating money like I would
(28:18):
any other companion.
I am not abusing it.
I am not spending it or wastingits energy frivolously.
I'm actually using it to pullin and call in the things that I
need to support myself, for thethings that my loved ones need
to support themselves.
I am treating it with kindnessand respect, in the same way
(28:40):
that I would want to be treatedwith kindness and respect, and I
am valuing it and what it cando for me and how it can work
for me and how we can have amutual exchange where we are
caring for each other, where weare protecting each other, where
we are respecting each other,where we are prioritizing each
(29:01):
other's needs.
And that is I'm trying to staypresent in that mindset and in
that energy.
I want to be generating more ofit in my life so that I can
reach the financial freedom thatI desire for myself and for the
people that I love most.
And I want to ensure that mylineage and my ancestors are a
part of that process, because Iknow that they want me to be
(29:23):
free and safe and to know restand ease and leisure too, and
I'm remembering that that it'snot just my work, but it's
spiritual work and ancestralwork too.
I was recently reminded of thatby Chimdi Hazier, who has been
a guest on the show, who hasalso been leading weekly Hello
Creator creative coaching calls,and, yeah, I want to stay
(29:46):
present in that energy.
I am working more to saveinstead of just being so quick
to spend.
I am back into investing.
I am back into trying to letmoney work for me for a change,
and investing but also beingmindful of using, like high
yield savings accounts and likewatching the interest grow, like
(30:09):
things like that.
So I'm just trying to bemindful of that and I think on
the financial front too is youknow, this podcast is a creative
outlet for me.
Other projects that I'm workingon are creative outlets for me,
but I also have consulting workthat I do.
I have paying clients that workwith me to support them in
adding structure to theircreative genius, to support them
(30:31):
in project and programmanagement, to support them in
creative ventures.
So I am excited to continueworking with existing clients
and to grow that.
On the consulting front, I wantto continue my work to support
creative visionaries withstrategy, with structure, with
intuitive coaching.
And if you are someone who'slistening and you're interested
(30:53):
in that maybe you're a founderor a creative or you're
interested in working togethermake sure that you visit
aliyashayancom for more detailsand let's connect.
These are things I'm focused onin this season, throughout 2025
and beyond.
Yeah, I'm excited about that.
Last year, in 2024, I decidedthat my word for the year and
(31:16):
pretty late in the year at thatwas audacity having the audacity
to show up for myself, havingthe audacity to pursue my
passion projects, having theaudacity to step up and be seen.
And this year, my word isdevotion.
I want to be devoted to myself.
(31:37):
I want to be devoted to thepeople and the things that I
love.
I want to be devoted to takingcare of myself in the best way
possible myself in the best waypossible.
Yeah, devotion feels prettygreat for my year, for 2025, and
(31:58):
I will lean on that and recallthat and remember that whenever
and as often as I need to tomake sure that I'm staying
committed to my goals and mydesires and the things that I'm
dreaming up.
I know being consistent is ahuge part of podcasting, but
burnout can be real and I wantto make sure that podcasting and
creating in this way stays funand meaningful to me.
(32:20):
First, previously, I took abreak from the pod during the
holidays and I enjoyed the spaceof not having to publish every
week, but it also made merealize that I went so hard in
2024.
And although I'm really proudof all the episodes I curated,
produced, cultivated, createdall the things I didn't really
(32:41):
sit with them as long as Ishould because I was always
focused on the next episode.
So I want to take some time toappreciate what I've created for
myself and this prolificcommunity that I want to handle
and focus on.
So there may be some gapsbetween episodes here and there
(33:14):
going forward, but the podcastisn't going anywhere.
I love what I've created.
I've grown so much from doingthis show.
I've nurtured existing skillsand learned new ones.
I've healed even more and Iknow the show has served others
on their own creative andhealing journeys and that feels
(33:36):
so good and so rewarding.
I've become a betterprofessional and public speaker.
I'm learning to sit with andovercome rejection, because
there is loads of rejection inpodcasts and it has been big
rejection therapy.
But I'm learning to sit withthat and overcome it and grow
through it.
(33:56):
I took a lot of pride in knowingthat a year from now, five
years from now, 10 years fromnow and beyond, this show will
still be here for others todiscover, to learn and to grow,
and to me, that's the mostrewarding part of doing this
show.
It's another addition to mylegacy and it's part of my
(34:17):
contribution to the world, andthat feels purposeful and
healing on so many levels.
However it morphs and evolvesover time will be a testament to
my life, my journey and sharingthe wisdom, journey and
experiences of others, and thatfeels so fulfilling and
beautiful.
I also love uplifting dopepeople doing transformative work
(34:41):
, because when we love and pourour hearts into the things that
we're passionate about, weliterally give life to those
things, things, and we do thework with so much intention and
it just fills my cup to havethese conversations.
It really does.
On the one hand, there's suchmeaningful episodes from all of
you listening, but for me, theone-on-one time, the love and
(35:03):
community I get to have inhaving these conversations, is
unmatched, and I hope you feellike part of this community too
Each time you listen and sharean episode with your people.
It means so much.
So the show is not goinganywhere.
It will always be here and newepisodes will continue coming
out, but it just might not beevery single week, and I'm in a
(35:24):
good place where I'm good withthat.
I know and trust that those whoare meant to find the show will
continue to discover it overtime and that the prolific
community will keep on growing.
So thank you.
In the meantime and in betweentime, you can help me to
celebrate the third anniversaryof the show and my 33rd birthday
(35:45):
by leaving a positive writtenreview on Apple Podcasts or
sharing comments on this episodeon Spotify or YouTube.
If you're listening for thefirst time ever, or if you've
been here but you've missed afew episodes here and there,
there's no better place to startthan with the top five most
downloaded episodes of the showAt the time of this recording.
(36:08):
Those are episode 52, timelessWisdom for Modern Creatives A
Conversation with VanessaAldrich.
Episode 55, culture,afrofuturism and Ethical AI,
featuring Minista Jazz.
Episode 33, healing TraumaThrough Memes and Humor,
featuring Margo Feldman.
Episode 51, a Free Woman'sJourney to Love and Liberation,
(36:33):
in conversation with EbonyJanice Moore.
And episode 31, sensuality,spirituality and Creativity,
featuring LaVon Briggs.
Thank you for joining me forthis resurrection year, for this
Jesus Year episode.
Thank you for joining me andcelebrating my 33rd birthday and
the third anniversary of thispodcast.
(36:56):
Thank you for joining me inthis season of devotion, in this
year of devotion to myself andto yourselves, and I am so
excited to meet you back here onthe next episode.
All right, friend.
Thanks for tuning in to anotherepisode of the show.
If this episode resonated withyou, please be sure to tell a
(37:18):
friend, to tell a friend and torate and review the show on
Apple Podcasts, like the videoon YouTube and leave your
comments on YouTube and Spotify.
Thank you for lending me yourtime, your energy and your ears,
and I appreciate you for beinghere.
Have a great rest of your dayor night and I will catch you on
the next episode.
(37:39):
Bye.
Hey friend, how are you, how have you been and
how are you holding up witheverything right now?
Because it's been a lot.
We just started 2025 and itfeels like it's been a whole
year already.
It's insane.
Let me know how you're doing ina text to the show, using the
(00:24):
text the show link in theepisode description or in a
comment on Spotify or YouTube,or in a review on Apple Podcasts
or wherever you listen to theshow.
Quick announcement I am soexcited to be part of Afro's and
Audio's 2025 HERD Black HistoryMonth interview series.
(00:46):
I got to sit down with Afro'sand Audio founder Talib Jasir,
who will be a future guest onthis show very soon, for a great
interview to talk about allthings creativity and podcasting
.
So if you'd like to hear morefrom me and my conversation with
Talib, check out my episode onHEARD.
It's called RedefiningCreativity Aaliyah Brown on
(01:08):
Creativity, growth andPurposeful Connections, and that
will be linked in the shownotes slash episode description.
So, yay, tune in and let meknow what you think.
So in December 2024, I let youall know that I was going to be
taking a much needed break tospend time with family, enjoy
(01:32):
the holidays and justconcentrate on some other
projects and I did that and I'mstill doing that, and it was
definitely a much needed breakand much needed time off, and
I've been excited to jump backinto some more episodes of the
show, with great interviews withincredible guests and creating
(01:55):
new solo episodes as well.
That being said, I also usedthat time to reassess a lot of
things.
Going forward with the podcast,I'm putting less pressure on
myself with the show, as much asI love the conversations I have
with guests and sharing mythoughts, I'm taking the
pressure off of myself to doepisodes every single week.
(02:17):
Nobody required me to do that.
That's just been something I'vewanted to do in the name of
consistency, in the name ofgrowing the show, in the name of
giving myself some sort ofregular routine with creating
this project and publishing newepisodes and going forward.
(02:38):
I'm taking that self-imposedpressure off of myself.
There are plenty of shows thatare daily, weekly, bi-weekly,
monthly, bi-monthly, etc.
And I'm not beholden to aschedule outside of the one that
I set.
Frequency might look a littledifferent in 2025 and beyond,
(03:01):
but I have this platform andbeyond but I have this platform.
This is my show.
I'm not getting rid of it.
It's always going to be herefor us to connect, and I trust
that the right people who needthis show, the people who are
meant to find it, will find it.
They'll support it and share itwith others who might need it
(03:21):
too.
I trust that we will continueto grow our prolific community.
There's no doubt in my mindabout that.
That being said, it's still veryearly in the year at the time
of this recording and Ipersonally believe that the
first few months of the year arefor reflection, plotting and
scheming and planting seeds.
(03:42):
So that's what I've been doingplotting and scheming and
planting seeds.
So that's what I've been doingSetting goals, creating action
plans and making some lifestylechanges.
I recently started listening tothe Pretty Smart podcast and
the host, danielle Robay,created a free 2025 action plan
workbook to really reflect andset goals for the year.
(04:03):
She did a podcast episode whereshe explains her action plan
process and the workbook, andit's great.
I'll link it in the show notes,but that's one tool that I've
used to kind of set myself upfor success for this year.
I love the Balanced Black Girlpodcast.
I've talked about it a fewtimes on this show.
It's a podcast that my sister,who is a former co-host of this
(04:28):
show, introduced me to, and thehost, les, did a solo episode
called Planned With Me for 2025,creating a Plan to Reach your
Goals, and that episode wasgreat and I'll also link that
one in the show notes.
I found that episode reallyvaluable and it really got my
brain working around what sortof goals I wanted to set for
(04:51):
myself for this year andcreating an action plan to
actually achieve those goals.
Something that really set thetone for my mood and my energy
for this year was a New Year'sEve and New Year's Day because I
did it twice.
I participated in a liverecording and then watched the
replay again of Justin MichaelWilliams's Manifest, new Year's
(05:15):
Eve Vision Writing Workshop tohelp me to visualize and tap
into the energy of the thingsI'm claiming and calling into my
life in 2025.
It was a beautiful workshop.
I did it by myself the firsttime.
I did it with my grandmotherthe next day and she really
enjoyed it.
I shared it with friends andfamily because I thought it was
(05:37):
really powerful and worthwhileto do.
Again, all of these resourcesI'll link them in the show notes
because it's not too late toreflect and make a plan.
You don't have to have it allfigured out right away.
Take the remainder of winter toreflect, set goals, plant seeds
for this year and beyond.
(05:58):
Besides, anyone who tells youthey have it all figured out is
lying, so don't believe that.
In other news, the podcastrecently celebrated an
anniversary on January 22nd.
Although the show has evolvedand will continue to evolve,
it's officially been around forthree years at the time of this
(06:20):
recording and publishing and I'mso proud of that.
I'm so proud of that.
But I will say, to be threeyears in and to have so little
reviews on Apple Podcasts, it'sactually sad and a little crazy.
So sometimes I'd be feelinglike, okay, should I hang it up?
Don't answer that unless youhave something nice to say.
(06:42):
But this is a plug that, ifyou've been tuning into the show
, if you are a consistentlistener, if you've enjoyed
multiple episodes of the show,if you keep coming back for more
, I would really appreciate itif you take a moment to write a
review for the show and justshare your thoughts, share your
feedback, share what keeps youcoming back for more.
(07:04):
It would mean a lot to mepersonally and it would help the
show out a lot.
It would help folks to discoverthe show.
It would help guests to feelmore inclined to come on the
show when they see so manypositive reviews and positive
feedbacks.
If you are listening on Spotifyor watching the show on YouTube
(07:26):
or listening to the audio onYouTube, you can always like
videos, you can always leavecomments, you can always share
episodes.
Make sure you're subscribed tothe channel and following the
show on your favorite podcastplatform.
If you're listening on ApplePodcasts, please take a moment
to go to the show and scroll allthe way down, past the episodes
(07:50):
, down to the area for ratingsand reviews, and be sure to
leave a five-star rating andplease take a couple of seconds
to write a positive review aboutthe show.
It would really help me andthis show tremendously for you
to take a moment to do that, andit's free.
So I look forward to seeingmore of your feedback and
(08:10):
engaging in that way.
Anyway, on top of the recentpodcast anniversary, I recently
celebrated my 33rd birthday.
At the end of January, I got tospend my birthday week.
Well, actually, I was downthere for two weeks in Florida
with my mom and my sisters.
I got a nice little break awayfrom the cold New York City
(08:33):
winter and it was so funny butnot funny.
When I first landed in Floridaand I stepped out of the airport
, it was cold, like cold in away that I don't expect for
Florida, and thankfully over thenext two weeks the temperature
climbed back up to normalFloridian temperatures.
But it was so bizarre to me tosee some Floridians in like
(08:57):
winter jackets and like lightjackets and bundled up and yeah,
but you know, in a Floridianway people will be warm on top
and still have flip-flops on thebottom or like warm on top and
still be in shorts.
It was, you know, it's Florida.
But it was nice to get away.
I didn't really want to do anybig major celebration.
(09:18):
The initial plan was to do afamily trip and travel somewhere
, which we didn't get to dobecause everybody needed to make
sure their passports werecurrent and not expired.
And since we didn't get to dothat, the plan was to just spend
the week, spend time with myfamily, and I didn't really want
(09:39):
to do a big celebration.
I didn't even want to eat out,to be honest.
I just kind of wanted to have anice meal at home and sit
around the table with everyone.
Yeah, my mom and my oldersister worked together to still
surprise me.
My mom caught me out of thehouse for a little while and my
(10:00):
sister, even though she wascoming home from work and tired,
still took time to like, getsome balloons and get a cake and
some other decorations, so thatwhen I walked back in the house
I was surprised and, of course,because I'm a giant crybaby, I
cried because I was genuinelysurprised and it felt really
(10:21):
nice to be loved and celebratedin that way.
So it was still sweet and itwas perfect for me.
If you've listened to anyepisode where I've talked about
astrology, you know I'm anAquarius sun, at least in
Western astrology.
In Vedic astrology I'm aCapricorn sun, but that's an
entirely different conversationfor another day.
(10:42):
Anyhow, make sure you check outthe following episodes if you
haven't already Episode 40,unlocking Potential with
Personality Tests andSelf-Development.
Episode 41, success Stardustand Social Justice featuring
Tracy L Rogers.
And episode 42, astrology howto use astrology for success.
(11:05):
I bring those episodes upbecause I mentioned astrology
and I think it is a powerfultool and modality that can
support us in a number of ways,and humans have used the stars
for centuries to help them totravel, to help them to know
when to plant and when toharvest, to track the cycles of
(11:27):
the moon and how that impactsour oceans, and so many other
things.
Even the three magi, or thethree wise men, used a star to
guide them to Jesus.
So, yeah, I think it's anincredible tool, and I actually
(11:49):
learned a lot more aboutastrology listening to a podcast
called magic.
In the united states they didan entire episode about the
history of astrology as we'vecome to know it in the west and
it was really informative.
There were things I evenlearned about it.
Perhaps I'll link that episodein the show notes for anyone who
would like to check it out aswell.
That episode is called theStars Ascending, so I'll be sure
(12:13):
to link it.
33rd birthday I know that's acolloquialism or a saying that
some people are familiar withand others are not to say it's
your Jesus year when you turn 33.
(12:34):
Don't ask me the officialorigin of that phrase.
I think it has something to dowith Jesus possibly being
crucified around the age of 33.
According to some scholars,others say somewhere between 30
and 40 or 33 and 40.
Who knows, but there is a lotof significance associated with
(12:56):
the number 33.
According to Google.
The number 33 is associatedwith a few different things.
So in Tibetan Buddhism, thehighest chakra, the crown chakra
, is represented by a flowerwith 33 downward pointing petals
.
In numerology, 33 is a masternumber that represents the
(13:17):
highest spiritual achievement.
The number of pairs of nervegroups that pass through the
spine is 33.
Number of turns in the humanDNA sequence is 33.
The number of years it takesthe sun to rise in the same spot
on the horizon is 33.
I do love the scientific andspiritual aspects of the number
(13:38):
33, so that's worth somethingright.
It's a special time of year forme, recently celebrating my 33rd
birthday and the third year ofthe podcast so very exciting
times.
The reason why I'm calling itmy resurrection year or my Jesus
year is definitely because I'mcontinuing to focus on wellness.
(14:00):
Since December, I've been doingmore at home workouts
consistently than I have in thepast.
Something that supported mewith that is doing challenges
with friends and having friendsbe accountability partners.
(14:21):
So in December and for part ofJanuary, I had done challenges
with a friend and we werechecking in regularly doing yoga
and Pilates.
Currently right now I'm doing achallenge with another friend.
We're doing some workouts fromGrow With Jo on YouTube and Grow
(14:43):
With Jo was recommended to meby my coach, actually because
it's helped her consistentlyinclude movement in her
day-to-day and she's also lost alot of weight doing that.
So I'm trying it out for myselfto see.
I'm leaning on tools that canmake it more cost-effective for
me to have the kind of lifestylethat I desire in a more
(15:04):
affordable way.
So I would love to be a regularacupuncture girly, a regular
sauna girly, but I'm having tofind ways to make that more
accessible and affordable for mein this season.
So something I've done is getan acupuncture mat which helps
to apply pressure to differentpoints in your body front, back,
(15:26):
feet, everything and I can layon that in different positions
and help to alleviate stress andhave certain pressure points
hit.
And it's more cost effectivefor me to do that at home at
this point.
I've also invested in a saunablanket.
One of the ways that I'vetypically enjoyed sauna is at
(15:47):
spas or in the past when I'vehad gym memberships and saunas
are available.
And right now, my best friendand I have done our best to
commit to quarterly visits to myfavorite spa, which is not in
New York, it's actually inVirginia, which means we drive
out for a weekend, we enjoy along spa day and then we drive
(16:08):
home and since that's onlyquarterly, I want to be able to
have some sort of saunaexperience more regularly than
that.
So one thing I've done isinvest in a sauna blanket and
that's been interesting to getaccustomed to and get used to,
but it has a lot of the samebenefits as being in an actual
sauna.
So I've been enjoying that alittle bit more.
(16:29):
At home.
Some basic things I'm trying topractice better dental hygiene
in the ways that I can at home.
So instead of using a regulartoothbrush, I've gotten myself
an electric toothbrush.
I'm doing water flossing now,like little things like that, to
just try to improve my physicalwellness, my appearance and
(16:52):
different things around thatnature.
So it's been good to invest inmyself in that way.
It's helped my mood, my energylevel a lot.
I've been trying to use moreface masks and do more
intentional skincare routineswith what I'm using to wash and
exfoliate and what I'm using tomoisturize and making sure I'm
(17:13):
wearing my sunscreen littlethings like that.
So just investing in myself ina way that feels good and feels
good in this season of my lifeand that I hope to continue to
do going forward, even beyond my30-30 year.
Mental and emotionalimprovements and investments
include talk therapy when I needit.
(17:34):
I've spoken about therapy onthe show many times.
I've gone to talk therapy onand off for years.
I remember being very young andtelling my dad that I wanted to
go to therapy and it not reallybeing taken seriously.
It was just kind of like, ok,we can do that if you need to,
(17:55):
but never really taking a moreproactive approach to getting me
that.
And then my first experience intherapy was actually in that I
can remember was actually inlike junior high school and it
was more family therapy becausemy mom and my stepdad at the
time were going through thingsand there were many things
(18:16):
happening in our household.
So we were all doing familytherapy.
And I think after that the nextmemory I had was just kind of
being like OK, if I'm not goingto get more individualized
therapy with help from myparents, I'm going to take it
into my own hands.
So I did when I was 18.
And the first resources Ichecked out were like free
(18:39):
resources in college and youknow, at that time it's students
getting practice and clinicalhours and stuff like that.
They're not like professionalsat that time, so it wasn't
really the most helpful thing,but I eventually went through
the process of finding atherapist that really worked for
me using the insurance I had atthe time, and it's been a
(19:02):
journey since.
I had one consistently for avery long time as a young adult.
I had gone through for a verylong time as a young adult.
I had gone through others laterin life and I have one that
I've worked with for the lastfew years now.
There was a period where wewere meeting weekly.
Now I'm at a stage with herwhere I don't meet with her
weekly.
I kind of just reach outwhenever I need to check in or
(19:23):
whenever I need boost sessions.
I'm very grateful for herbecause she keeps my usual times
slot open.
Like whenever I do reach out,even if it's like months in
between, I can usually get mysame slot.
So I'm very grateful for that.
For however long it lasts andit's lasted for like a year or
so.
I hope it continues.
But I also feel like talktherapy is one tool.
(19:47):
There are many other tools thatcan help and support us.
So there's somatic healing andtherapy and somatic movement,
and that's something I've beenreally interested in as well
like dropping more into my bodyand releasing emotions that way,
because that's also veryimportant.
The body really does keep thescore.
(20:07):
The body holds on to a lot oftrauma.
The body remembers energy andemotions that are stored in the
body.
If they are not processed andreleased properly, can lead to
health issues, can lead to lowerback pain, can lead to aches
and discomfort and dis-ease andall kinds of things.
(20:29):
So I think somatic healing isreally important.
I am getting back into mymeditation bag.
I used to meditate soconsistently.
I had built myself up to thepoint where I could sit down and
do like a 20-minute meditation.
No problem, no worries, justdrop into it and be good and
(20:50):
look up and, before I know it,wonder where the time went.
And I got out of that habit tothe point now where I'm having
to build myself back up to eventhat 20 minutes to some people
is nothing, 20 minutes to othersfeels like a long time and I
want to be able to get back tothe point where I can do that
more consistently and givemyself that time.
(21:11):
It doesn't have to be that muchtime every single day, but
making sure that I'm dedicatingsome amount of time to just
being quiet and being still andsitting with myself.
Journaling has been a tool thathas supported me for years, from
as early as grade school I canremember journaling up until now
(21:34):
to the point where I evencreated a guided journal, which
is always linked in the shownotes if you'd like to get a
copy.
But making sure that I'mjournaling consistently and
being mindful of different waysto journal.
I've always been a free-writegirly, but I've been exploring
other forms of journaling.
Something that Les, the host ofBalanced Black Girl, talks
(21:58):
about a lot is best-casescenario journaling Journaling
as if your day or whateveryou're thinking about has
already happened and it'shappened successfully and the
best possible case scenario hasalready happened.
And journaling that way as away to, like you know, program
your mind into believing thatand embodying that energy, but
(22:21):
also manifesting that as apotential outcome.
And that's something I want tobe mindful of and be practicing
more, more prompted journalingso that I'm thinking through
intentional things and alsocontinuing with free writing.
So that's a tool that I'm alsousing to support me mentally and
emotionally.
(22:42):
For me, humming and singing hasalways supported me and helped
me, if I've ever been reallyfrustrated or really down or
kind of in like a sad or notgreat mood, throwing on some
music and humming and singingalong and pouring my little
heart into it, even if I don'thave the best voice in the world
, has also been something thathelps me.
(23:05):
So continuing to lean into thatand getting back into
breathwork Breathwork is soimportant and helpful.
I do consider it anothersomatic healing tool because it
kind of forces you to drop intoyour body and be very present
with your breath and notice howyour breath is expanding your
belly, collapsing your belly anddifferent things and just being
(23:27):
really mindful.
So getting back into that andas a tool for nervous system
regulation, but also justhealthy living and making sure
that I'm really connected to mybreath.
And something that I want toget into is tapping.
Like it's not a new concept tome.
I've heard it many times in thepast but I've never done it
(23:50):
consistently and I actually wantto sit down with some guided
YouTube videos or something andbe more intentional about
tapping and just kind ofrewiring and reprogramming old
pathways in my brain to new onesfor my highest good.
So I'm leaning into that a lotthis season Spiritually, some of
those things for mental andemotional health overlap Same
(24:14):
with physical, like taking careof your body and your vessel is
very important for yourspiritual.
But making sure that I'm prayingintentionally and just
expressing a lot of gratitudeGratitude for existing and
living and answered prayers nowand gratitude for what's to come
so just making sure that I stayaligned with that and again,
(24:35):
meditating, but also thinkingabout rituals and routines that
keep me centered.
So for me, especially when it'snot freezing cold outside in
particular, but when theweather's really nice, like
grounding in nature, like beingbarefoot to the grass, putting
my feet in the grass, beinggrounded in that way, gazing at
(24:55):
the moon, gazing at the sun,gazing at the stars, watching
the breeze dance through treeleaves, imagining myself
connecting with their roots,touching them, and things like
that help to keep me reallygrounded and connected with
nature.
So that's something I'm lookingforward to doing more in the
spring and the summer and thefall.
And even if I don't feelinclined to do those types of
(25:20):
things as much during the winterbecause it's colder, at least
being connected to that feelingand visualizing the experience
and feeling close and tied tothat ritual helps to keep me
grounded as well.
Think for social, continuing tonurture my existing friendships
, making sure that I am stayingconnected, making sure that I am
(25:44):
reaching out to others as muchas they are reaching out to me.
Spending quality time, becausequality time is a love language
for me, not just romantically,but with any important
connection I have in my life.
So making sure that I'm doingthat and also giving myself
space and grace to cultivate newfriendships for the phase of my
life that I'm currently in,something that I want to lean
(26:06):
into more in 2025 and in my30-30 year and beyond is
volunteering.
Like it is so important for meto get back to volunteering.
I have not done it in such along time and anytime I
volunteered in the past, I'vealways felt like so good after
knowing that I used my time andmy hands and my energy to do
something helpful and meaningfulfor others.
(26:28):
So I need to get back into thatfor sure.
I'm not sure exactly what thatlooks like right now, but I have
some ideas about how I'd liketo do it and I'll be continuing
to explore that.
Like whether that'svolunteering at a soup kitchen,
whether that's buildingsomething with my hands.
I've helped groups to buildgardening boxes for homes with
(26:51):
people with special needs sothat they can garden right in
the backyard of that home.
Or cleaning up yards andlandscaping for people who might
not be able to do it themselves.
Or packaging meals for peoplewho might be experiencing
homelessness and hand deliveringit to them.
(27:11):
Or even volunteering at aschool and helping them to do
basic paint jobs that haveneeded to get done for a while,
that they haven't been able todo, or helping to build outdoor
furniture so that young peoplecan enjoy, like the rooftop of
the school or wherever there areopen areas where they can sit
and relax, and things like that.
So I want to get back to usingmy hands and volunteering my
(27:34):
time and my energy in that way.
So that's something I've beenthinking about a lot.
For financial, I am in a placewhere I am still working to heal
money wounds.
I am thinking a lot about bookslike the Energy of Money and
the Psychology of Money andstaying in the energy of money
(27:54):
being a tool and a resource tohelp me create the life that I
desire An energy exchange ofreward and a blessing and a
basic need being met for thethings that I create and put out
into the world and being ableto support myself and my loved
ones in the way that I desire.
I want to be in a space where Iam treating money like I would
(28:18):
any other companion.
I am not abusing it.
I am not spending it or wastingits energy frivolously.
I'm actually using it to pullin and call in the things that I
need to support myself, for thethings that my loved ones need
to support themselves.
I am treating it with kindnessand respect, in the same way
(28:40):
that I would want to be treatedwith kindness and respect, and I
am valuing it and what it cando for me and how it can work
for me and how we can have amutual exchange where we are
caring for each other, where weare protecting each other, where
we are respecting each other,where we are prioritizing each
(29:01):
other's needs.
And that is I'm trying to staypresent in that mindset and in
that energy.
I want to be generating more ofit in my life so that I can
reach the financial freedom thatI desire for myself and for the
people that I love most.
And I want to ensure that mylineage and my ancestors are a
part of that process, because Iknow that they want me to be
(29:23):
free and safe and to know restand ease and leisure too, and
I'm remembering that that it'snot just my work, but it's
spiritual work and ancestralwork too.
I was recently reminded of thatby Chimdi Hazier, who has been
a guest on the show, who hasalso been leading weekly Hello
Creator creative coaching calls,and, yeah, I want to stay
(29:46):
present in that energy.
I am working more to saveinstead of just being so quick
to spend.
I am back into investing.
I am back into trying to letmoney work for me for a change,
and investing but also beingmindful of using, like high
yield savings accounts and likewatching the interest grow, like
(30:09):
things like that.
So I'm just trying to bemindful of that and I think on
the financial front too is youknow, this podcast is a creative
outlet for me.
Other projects that I'm workingon are creative outlets for me,
but I also have consulting workthat I do.
I have paying clients that workwith me to support them in
adding structure to theircreative genius, to support them
(30:31):
in project and programmanagement, to support them in
creative ventures.
So I am excited to continueworking with existing clients
and to grow that.
On the consulting front, I wantto continue my work to support
creative visionaries withstrategy, with structure, with
intuitive coaching.
And if you are someone who'slistening and you're interested
(30:53):
in that maybe you're a founderor a creative or you're
interested in working togethermake sure that you visit
aliyashayancom for more detailsand let's connect.
These are things I'm focused onin this season, throughout 2025
and beyond.
Yeah, I'm excited about that.
Last year, in 2024, I decidedthat my word for the year and
(31:16):
pretty late in the year at thatwas audacity having the audacity
to show up for myself, havingthe audacity to pursue my
passion projects, having theaudacity to step up and be seen.
And this year, my word isdevotion.
I want to be devoted to myself.
(31:37):
I want to be devoted to thepeople and the things that I
love.
I want to be devoted to takingcare of myself in the best way
possible myself in the best waypossible.
Yeah, devotion feels prettygreat for my year, for 2025, and
(31:58):
I will lean on that and recallthat and remember that whenever
and as often as I need to tomake sure that I'm staying
committed to my goals and mydesires and the things that I'm
dreaming up.
I know being consistent is ahuge part of podcasting, but
burnout can be real and I wantto make sure that podcasting and
creating in this way stays funand meaningful to me.
(32:20):
First, previously, I took abreak from the pod during the
holidays and I enjoyed the spaceof not having to publish every
week, but it also made merealize that I went so hard in
2024.
And although I'm really proudof all the episodes I curated,
produced, cultivated, createdall the things I didn't really
(32:41):
sit with them as long as Ishould because I was always
focused on the next episode.
So I want to take some time toappreciate what I've created for
myself and this prolificcommunity that I want to handle
and focus on.
So there may be some gapsbetween episodes here and there
(33:14):
going forward, but the podcastisn't going anywhere.
I love what I've created.
I've grown so much from doingthis show.
I've nurtured existing skillsand learned new ones.
I've healed even more and Iknow the show has served others
on their own creative andhealing journeys and that feels
(33:36):
so good and so rewarding.
I've become a betterprofessional and public speaker.
I'm learning to sit with andovercome rejection, because
there is loads of rejection inpodcasts and it has been big
rejection therapy.
But I'm learning to sit withthat and overcome it and grow
through it.
(33:56):
I took a lot of pride in knowingthat a year from now, five
years from now, 10 years fromnow and beyond, this show will
still be here for others todiscover, to learn and to grow,
and to me, that's the mostrewarding part of doing this
show.
It's another addition to mylegacy and it's part of my
(34:17):
contribution to the world, andthat feels purposeful and
healing on so many levels.
However it morphs and evolvesover time will be a testament to
my life, my journey and sharingthe wisdom, journey and
experiences of others, and thatfeels so fulfilling and
beautiful.
I also love uplifting dopepeople doing transformative work
(34:41):
, because when we love and pourour hearts into the things that
we're passionate about, weliterally give life to those
things, things, and we do thework with so much intention and
it just fills my cup to havethese conversations.
It really does.
On the one hand, there's suchmeaningful episodes from all of
you listening, but for me, theone-on-one time, the love and
(35:03):
community I get to have inhaving these conversations, is
unmatched, and I hope you feellike part of this community too
Each time you listen and sharean episode with your people.
It means so much.
So the show is not goinganywhere.
It will always be here and newepisodes will continue coming
out, but it just might not beevery single week, and I'm in a
(35:24):
good place where I'm good withthat.
I know and trust that those whoare meant to find the show will
continue to discover it overtime and that the prolific
community will keep on growing.
So thank you.
In the meantime and in betweentime, you can help me to
celebrate the third anniversaryof the show and my 33rd birthday
(35:45):
by leaving a positive writtenreview on Apple Podcasts or
sharing comments on this episodeon Spotify or YouTube.
If you're listening for thefirst time ever, or if you've
been here but you've missed afew episodes here and there,
there's no better place to startthan with the top five most
downloaded episodes of the showAt the time of this recording.
(36:08):
Those are episode 52, timelessWisdom for Modern Creatives A
Conversation with VanessaAldrich.
Episode 55, culture,afrofuturism and Ethical AI,
featuring Minista Jazz.
Episode 33, healing TraumaThrough Memes and Humor,
featuring Margo Feldman.
Episode 51, a Free Woman'sJourney to Love and Liberation,
(36:33):
in conversation with EbonyJanice Moore.
And episode 31, sensuality,spirituality and Creativity,
featuring LaVon Briggs.
Thank you for joining me forthis resurrection year, for this
Jesus Year episode.
Thank you for joining me andcelebrating my 33rd birthday and
the third anniversary of thispodcast.
(36:56):
Thank you for joining me inthis season of devotion, in this
year of devotion to myself andto yourselves, and I am so
excited to meet you back here onthe next episode.
All right, friend.
Thanks for tuning in to anotherepisode of the show.
If this episode resonated withyou, please be sure to tell a
(37:18):
friend, to tell a friend and torate and review the show on
Apple Podcasts, like the videoon YouTube and leave your
comments on YouTube and Spotify.
Thank you for lending me yourtime, your energy and your ears,
and I appreciate you for beinghere.
Have a great rest of your dayor night and I will catch you on
the next episode.
(37:39):
Bye.
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