The Lion Learns To Write

#TLLTW 038 with @alex_mechanikool: we talk about barriers to conversations about race

#TriggerWarning: A big part of identity is race and in light of recent events, quarantine, and a time where some white people are scared and/or ashamed to open dialogue and some black people are exhausted with the cycle, Alex and I try to discuss what the reasons actually are

#TLLTW 037 with @this_is_jilo / mama70: from Ukraine to UK to Sierra Leone - Social constructs, forgiving yourself and the power of a woman

This is the longest episode yet and it could have been so much longer! Jilo is a good friend of mine and we chat over a cup of tea, both finding out things about each other's journeys that neither of us knew! We talk about everything from healing and what/who that attracts, how her tenacity and relationship with struggle has led to her being able to connect to the underdogs in any story, to Africa being a superpower, to why her husband will be the wealthiest man alive because of who he is marrying. We talk about worth, confronting what is unfamiliar, and why she would say to her younger self and girls like her, "you don't know how many nations you are, even without a man"

#TLLTW 036 with @supermalcom: we talk business, mindsets and knowledge of self

Supermalcom is what I call a #dancerpreneur. Founder of SuperstepsAcademy.com [https://www.superstepsacademy.com/] and Www.Aquafitpro.Co.Uk [http://www.aquafitpro.co.uk/?fbclid=IwAR1vQ8vZmHwPaeSXIaqgqhTV4gVrIJedT7o3aHajsg91VGRbK3T637FvpIw] hailing from Congo, France and UK, Malcom Wa Mbombo Mbombo [https://www.facebook.com/MbomboWaMbombo?__tn__=%2CdC-R-R&eid=ARAtOs8EXHi411W1L7dCro8pCkHFz_ZFPyNYuNsUuhfWknvn5buYD-s8GDroJmsFQbgL5FoiNUSXrVG9&hc_ref=ARQ4HHc9zCMaSrcEGSCfT1-_hXL_BlMObm1FhkRrM8WX95WkB-RNytfMDtSJ57YAiA4&fref=nf] 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

#TLLTW 035 with @Icelavs: we talk about freedom, culture and rebranding - "We create our own prisons in our minds"

Today I sit with Issata who is in beauty, marketing, and journalism and we get stuck into culture, reconnection with heritage on both parents sides, and freedom. From our minds, from burdens, and how she uses awareness as a tool to keep her mind body and soul in check. We talk about why she has a word for each year - why last year was called breathe, and this year, 2020 is for her, a year of rebranding!

#TLLTW 034 with @alex_mechanikool: talking about dance, youth work, mentoring and communication

Mechanikool [https://www.instagram.com/alex_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.