Hope & Hard Pills

Yolo Akili Robinson (he/him/his) is a non binary award-winning writer, healing justice worker, yogi, and the founder and Executive Director of BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective). For over 20 years Yolo has led and designed mental and emotional health workshops, experiences, support groups and training.Catch up with Yolo on Instagram and on his websiteCheck out BEAM's website and Instagram or upcoming events and more info!In This Episode:If you’d like to support what we’re doing here, you can join the Patreon.Find TRISHES on Instagram  and TikTokYou can find more about Andre at his website and on Instagram and TikTokMusic: Make it to Tomorrow by Andre HenryIt Doesn't Have To Be This Way (Remix) by Andre HenryThanks for being here!

Ashley Larkin's superpower lies at the intersection of creative expression and healing. A psychotherapist focused on helping people remember their own agency to find healing and restore trust in their inner voice.Her advocacy is steeped in subverting the colonized norms of the mental health industry. Championing education and access to mindfulness and well-being practices that remind us all of our innate power to shape our lives.  Her approach is as diverse as it is inclusive, using art and music as tools to invite wellness into culture and the everyday places that are just as vital as the therapy room.Today, Ashley serves as the Head of Wellness at True Voice, a wellness app helping to cultivate well-being through mindfulness and meditation practices. Her passion for this role is fueled by a commitment to serve overlooked communities, particularly Black and Brown folks, in the wellness space. More than just an app, she is cultivating a sanctuary of self discovery, healing and empowerment for all to feel at home in.A visionary, Ashley’s work is imagining a new way forward, where well-being is accessible to all people and not just for the few.Shabazz Larkin is an artist and activist interested in creating images of black culture and contemporary spirituality. Shabazz is a multi-disciplinary artist, painting vibrant portraiture on canvas, typographic printing techniques and film. His practice of vandalizing photographs, overwhelming use of color and bold typography, at times feel like visual concepts better suited for the editorial section of Rolling Stone. This technique only veils Larkin’s true intention to explore societal  issues of race, justice and religion. Shabazz is most known for his “Black Magic” collection, a series of portraits that capture the beauty of resilience in black culture. Larkin’s newest work is a reckless abandon into pop-art — he’s begun writing notes from God and placing them around Nashville, TN. He is also a student of mindfulness and the head of content for the True Voicewellness app.In This Episode:If you’d like to support what we’re doing here, you can join the Patreon.Find TRISHES on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. You can find more about Andre at his website and on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.  Music: Make it to Tomorrow by Andre HenryIt Doesn't Have To Be This Way (Remix) by Andre HenryThanks for being here!

Chichi Agorom is a lifelong student of what it means to be fully human. She is a Certified Enneagram Teacher & Practitioner, Associate Faculty with the Narrative Enneagram, and holds a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a Post-Master's Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is the author of the book, The Enneagram for Black Liberation, now available wherever books are sold!In This Episode:Get more info at Chichi's websiteYou can also find Chichi on InstagramIf you’d like to support what we’re doing here, you can join the Patreon.Find TRISHES on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. You can find more about Andre at his website and on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.  Music: Make it to Tomorrow by Andre HenryIt Doesn't Have To Be This Way (Remix) by Andre HenryThanks for being here!

EbonyJanice is the founder and CEO of The Free People Project and The EbonyJanice Project. She earned her Bachelors in Cultural Anthropology and Political Science and a Masters of Arts in Social Change with a concentration in Spiritual Leadership, Womanist Theology, and Racial Justice. The core and center of her work is the professional and personal liberation of Black Women and Femmes.EbonyJanice is a woman of action. Her contributions to an all-girls high school in Nayhururu, Kenya, include creating the school curriculum for girls' leadership. She's continued to support this school with monetary donations. These donations have built a computer lab, two additional classrooms, and a dormitory. She's updated the technological capabilities so that the school can access WIFI, added a large screen TV for Zoom communications and conferences, and paid the tuition for an entire class of girls.EbonyJanice enjoys theater, playing the viola, and speaking French. When she isn’t preaching, reaching, and teaching, she is ordering croissants in coffee shops around the world, reading romance novels, journaling, listening to Beyonce, laughing loudly, practicing peace, and expressing gratitude.In This Episode:Grab the All The Black Girls Are Activists book today!You can find more info at EbonyJanice's website!Check out EbonyJanice on InstagramIf you’d like to support what we’re doing here, you can join the Patreon.Find TRISHES on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. You can find more about Andre at his website and on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.  Music: Make it to Tomorrow by Andre HenryIt Doesn't Have To Be This Way (Remix) by Andre HenryThanks for being here!

Ann Cvetkovich is currently Professor in the Feminist Institute of Social Transformation at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  She has been Ellen Clayton Garwood Centennial Professor of English and Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of Mixed Feelings:  Feminism, Mass Culture, and Victorian Sensationalism (Rutgers, 1992); An Archive of Feelings:  Trauma, Sexuality, and Lesbian Public Cultures (Duke, 2003); and Depression:  A Public Feeling (Duke, 2012).  She co-edited (with Ann Pellegrini) “Public Sentiments,” a special issue of The Scholar and Feminist Online, and (with Janet Staiger and Ann Reynolds) Political Emotions (Routledge, 2010).   She has been coeditor, with Annamarie Jagose, of GLQ:  A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. She currently has two books in progress:  Feeling My Way Through the Archives:  A Journey in Queer Method and How To Live in A Body:  A Survival Guide for Troubled Times.In This Episode:You can find Ann's book here!If you’d like to support what we’re doing here, you can join the Patreon.Find TRISHES on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. You can find more about Andre at his website and on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.  Music: Make it to Tomorrow by Andre HenryIt Doesn't Have To Be This Way (Remix) by Andre HenryThanks for being here!

As a writer and thought-leader, Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts offers those who read her work and hear her speak an authentic experience; an opportunity to explore the intersection of culture, identity and faith/spirituality at the deepest levels. She is the host of the podcast, HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’l, and founder of HeARTspace, a healing community created to serve those who have experienced trauma of any kind through the use of storytelling and the arts.As a writer, Tracey has published 23 books including several collaborations with numerous high-profile authors. Calling herself a “literary midwife,” Tracey is a highly sought-after ghostwriter/collaborator whose work includes the New York Times bestselling book, Feeding the Soul by Tabitha Brown, Better Not Bitter by Yusef Salaam, The Other Side of Yet by Michelle Hord, and many others.In 2022, Tracey’s critically-acclaimed book, Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration (Gallery/Simon and Schuster) was published. Black Joy won the 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Instructional and has received rave reviews from celebrities like Kerry Washington, literary authors like Kiese Laymon and Deesha Philyaw, and media outlets like Good Morning America, Essence Magazine, and USA Today. Tracey’s most recent book, Then They Came for Mine: Healing from the Trauma of Racial Violence (WJK), examines the source and impact of racial violence against Black people in all its forms and offers a blueprint for the way the Christian Church can help facilitate healing. Then They Came for Mine has won the 2023 Wilbur Award, the highest honor given by the Religion Communicators Council, for excellence in the communication of religious issues, values, and themes, in public media.Tracey has spoken on a number of platforms around the country on topics related to race/social justice, healing, and faith/spirituality. Additionally, her freelance work has been published in print and online publications such as Oprah Daily, The Washington Post, Essence Magazine, The Guardian, The Chronicle for Higher Education, Ebony Magazine, TheRoot.com, and more.In This Episode:You can find Tracey on InstagramCheck out her website for more!If you’d like to support what we’re doing here, you can join the Patreon.Find TRISHES on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. You can find more about Andre at his website and on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.  Music: Make it to Tomorrow by Andre HenryIt Doesn't Have To Be This Way (Remix) by Andre HenryThanks for being here!

Dr. Chanda Reynolds recently obtained her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology. Her areas of interest include the impact of transgenerational trauma on the Black community, the integration of faith and mental health, and mental health within the Black church. Dr. Chanda enjoys teaching as an adjunct professor and providing therapy to children, adolescents, and their families. Dr. Reynolds has contributed to various media platforms, including ABC7, FOX news, PHL-17, Live Civil, and more.In This Episode:You can find Dr. Chanda on InstagramCheck out her podcasts, Paging Dr. Chanda and Double DoseIf you’d like to support what we’re doing here, you can join the Patreon.Find TRISHES on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. You can find more about Andre at his website and on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.  Music: Make it to Tomorrow by Andre HenryIt Doesn't Have To Be This Way (Remix) by Andre HenryThanks for being here!

The podcast explores the power of Mutual Aid in challenging oppressive systems and building collective survival skills. It discusses the dynamics of power, government responsibilities, and the motivation for social change. Dean Spade's work highlights the importance of community self-reliance and mobilizing communities for collective action.

Rebeckah Price, a wellness advocate and yoga instructor, discusses the hidden link between Black wellness and Black liberation. They explore the impact of systemic oppression on well-being, the importance of representation in the wellness space, and their personal journey of advocacy and yoga. They also discuss the limitations of the resilience label, navigating life with multiple sclerosis, and the motivation found in community and motherhood.

Rachel Cargle is an Akron, Ohio born writer, entrepreneur and philanthropic innovation. Her work and upcoming book with Penguin Random House, centers the reimagining of womanhood, solidarity and self and how we are in relationship with ourselves and one another. In 2018 she founded The Loveland Foundation, Inc., a non-profit offering free therapy to Black women and girls. Her umbrella company, The Loveland Group houses a collection of Rachel’s social ventures including The Great Unlearn, a self-paced, donation-based learning community, The Great Unlearn for Young Learners – an online learning space for young folks launching in 2022, and Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre – an innovative literacy space designed to amplify, celebrate and honor the work of writers who are often excluded from traditional cultural, social and academic canons.Rachel is a regular contributor to Cultured magazine, Atmos magazine and The Cut, and has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Forbes, Harper’s Bazaar and The New Yorker.In This Episode:You can get more info about her book tour for A Renaissance of Our OwnFind our more about what Rachel is up to on Instagram or her website!If you’d like to support what we’re doing here, you can join the Patreon.Find TRISHES on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. You can find more about Andre at his website and on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.  Music: Make it to Tomorrow by Andre HenryIt Doesn't Have To Be This Way (Remix) by Andre HenryThanks for being here!