The Light Watkins Show

Today’s guest, Leah Marville, TV Host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Barbados World 2009. When Leah Marville lost her father at a young age, all she could think of was supporting her mother in Saint James, Barbados. When a person is living life in survival mode, many of the choices they make are unconscious. It is only by processing our pain that we can hear our inner voice and begin to live in alignment with it. The choices Leah made to pick up modeling and eventually get a law degree were all based on survival. Along the way she did amazing things like win Miss Barbados and start a charity, making her life look perfect from the outside. However, one day she realized that she was not fulfilled and undertook a deep therapy program. All of this led to her starting Life and Lemonade TV, a catalog of interviews and stories of incredible people who show us, example after example, that life's lemons can always be turned into lemonade. In this episode, you’ll hear the full story of Leah’s transition from survival to intentionality. We also talk to her about the value of leaning into the emotions we feel and the growth that comes with taking a leap of faith into the unknown. Be sure to tune in today!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

For years, today’s guest lived out of his car and was hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. As if life weren’t difficult enough, he then spent two years in prison for smuggling heroin. Yet, it was through these challenges and the other tragedies he experienced that Garrain Jones found his purpose and was able to completely change the trajectory of his life. He is now a transformation coach, motivational speaker, serial entrepreneur, and the author of the number one bestseller, Change Your Mindset, Change Your Life, and his story has inspired thousands of people around the world.In today’s episode, Garrain offers us some insight into his backstory and he shares the lessons of love, leadership, and transformation that he has learned along the way. Tuning in, you’ll learn about the importance of doing what makes you happy, the craving for recognition that led Garrain to a life of crime in the first place, and the story of the homeless person who enlightened him with these simple words: change your mindset, change your life. We also touch on Garrain’s relationship with God, himself, and other men, as well as how he came to realize that motivating and inspiring others was his true calling.Garrain’s powerful story of transformation will help take you out of your everyday sameness and transfer you to a state of everyday greatness. To find out how he found the light at the end of his tunnel, make sure to join us today!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Today’s guest, Latham Thomas, is a celebrity doula and maternal wellness maven, and the founder of Mama Glow, a global women’s health and education brand serving women along the childbearing continuum and leading a revolution in radical self-care.  Mama Glow also offers a globally recognized doula immersion program, attended by women from all corners of the globe.Named one of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul 100, supports women in embracing optimal wellness and spiritual growth as a pathway to empowerment. By centering fertility, pregnancy, new motherhood, and everything in between, Latham seeks to elevate the conversation around reproductive justice and share her passion for birth equity. She is also a graduate of Columbia University and the author of book two bestselling books; Own Your Glow: A Soulful Guide to Luminous Living and Crowning The Queen Within and Mama Glow: A Hip Guide to Your Fabulous Abundant Pregnancy. In this episode, Latham shares the lessons in self-care that she learned by watching her mother and her grandmother growing up and what the spiritual experience she had during childbirth taught her about birth as an invitation to heal and expand in both body and spirit.We also touch on the importance of community, committing to your calling, and being a little stubborn sometimes, and Latham shares her words of wisdom for listeners looking to build a life they don’t have to escape. We hope you’ll join us for this soulful conversation to learn more about Latham Thomas’ backstory and find out how the vision she had while she was in labor eventually led her to create Mama Glow!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Today’s guest is Caroline Burckle, a professional athlete who swam in the Beijing Olympics in 2008. After being mentally and physically wrecked by the end of her experience with competitive sport, she co-founded RISE Athletes, a virtual mentoring program where professional and olympic athletes empower youth athletes with transferable skills to impact sport and life performance, helping to better prepare them for the mental and physical challenges of navigating athletic competition at the highest level.Caroline spent a decade in pursuit of her Olympic goal and spent a decade thereafter understanding her pain, and it is this work that helped her blend art, mindset, and sport to discover herself, her shadows, her light, her movement, and her purpose.In this episode, Caroline reflects on her role as a ‘feeler’ and the belief systems she created at a young age that equated self-worth with achievement. She also speaks candidly about her mental health journey and shares how the work she does today was informed by her own mental health struggles as an athlete, as well as her current mission to help others understand how we can utilize our emotions as information rather than suppressing them. We also touch on the mind-body connection, healing trauma through Somatic Experiencing, and Caroline’s past and present perceptions of success, plus so much more!This conversation provides a fascinating peek behind the curtain of what it's actually like to be an Olympic athlete. It also offers further evidence that your purpose is likely hiding in whatever you perceive to be your biggest obstacle in life. Make sure to join us as we dive into the backstory of Caroline Burckle and see exactly how a swimming pool in Kentucky became the gateway to finding her purpose!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Baratunde Thurston is a writer, activist, comedian, podcaster, and media personality who holds space for difficult and complex conversations with his unique blend of humor, wisdom, and compassion. He is an Emmy-nominated host who has worked for The Onion, produced for The Daily Show, advised the Obama White House, and wrote the New York Times bestseller, How To Be Black. He is the executive producer and host of the How To Citizen Podcast, which Apple named one of its favorite podcasts of 2020 and for which Baratunde received the Social Impact Award at the 2021 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards. In 2019, he also delivered what MSNBC’s Brian Williams called “one of the greatest TED talks of all time,” titled, ‘How to Deconstruct Racism, One Headline at a Time’. Baratunde has an incredible ability to integrate and synthesize themes of race, culture, politics, and technology to explain where our nation is and where we can take it. In today’s episode, we dive into his backstory, including his upbringing in the ‘Chocolate City’ of Washington DC and how he learned to wield words across media in service of liberty and justice, plus so much more! What stands out about this interview is Baratunde’s constant commitment to evolution and how he has made process not just a part of his life or an occasional focus, but a lifestyle. Baratunde believes that it’s about the journey, not the destination; it’s about the process, not the outcome. This is a fascinating conversation that provides yet more evidence that we're all born with everything that we need to find our true calling, we just have to be unafraid to do the things that make our heart sing. Tune in today!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Sometimes, the luminaries on this show start movements or write books that inspire people. In the case of this week's guest, she created a thriving platform called Get Loved Up, which consists of her bustling social media channels, her YouTube channel, books, and a podcast of the same name. Her name is Koya Webb, and she grew up in a small town in Tennessee with dreams of becoming an Olympian athlete in track and field. She was first introduced to yoga after a debilitating track injury that forced her to drop out of training. Once she recognized the physical and mental benefits of yoga, Koya shifted her focus to personal training and life coaching, combining the work ethic of an athlete with holistic health practices that anyone can follow to live a healthy and active lifestyle.While she still runs a mile a day, her mission is now to connect with her millions of followers and create content that helps them heal themselves and be self-sufficient on their own spiritual paths. Today, Koya is an internationally recognized yoga teacher, celebrity holistic health coach, author, speaker, and vegan activist whose core mission is to promote daily self-care, oneness, and eco-friendly living to combat some of the world’s biggest challenges, including mental health, social injustices, and global warming. In this episode, Koya shares her journey from track star to yoga teacher to vegan chef to internationally renowned wellness influencer and some of the lessons she has learned along the way.As always, you will hear about her upbringing and how it defined who she is today, and Koya offers some insight into what she learned about nurturing from her mother and what basketball taught her about resilience. We also touch on how she learned to love her natural hair, how she realized she didn’t need a gold medal to have an impact, and how she stays true to doing what she loves, plus so much more! Make sure to tune into this powerful and insightful conversation with Koya Webb today.Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

This week's guest created an app, a platform, and a book to be the change she wanted to see in the world. Her name is Krista Stryker, and she grew up fairly inactive, physically speaking. She was, however, an avid reader and writer who thought that one day, she would become a journalist. After being called “spaghetti arms” by her brother one afternoon and being challenged to do push-ups, Krista decided to take her physical fitness more seriously. She went on to become an NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer, working long hours in New York gym before realizing that there was a better way to pursue her love of movement.Krista discovered HIIT training from the comfort of her living room and not only did she feel stronger and more confident than ever before, but her clients started seeing remarkable results as well! This all culminated in the 12 Minute Athlete platform, which is now used by more than 500,000 people worldwide.In today’s episode, Krista speaks candidly about her journey with mental health and how she learned to manage depression and anxiety through meditation and mindful activity. She also shares her mission to help you become stronger and more confident using whatever you have at your disposal, and to embrace the process over the outcome with the understanding that mastery is not about completing something or graduating to the next level; it's about the refinement of skill. To learn more about the backstory of journalist, entrepreneur, and world-renowned fitness expert, Krista Stryker, and see how she found her calling as the 12 Minute Athlete, plus so much more, make sure to tune in today!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Today’s guest, Kute Blackson, is a transformational teacher, sought-after inspirational speaker, and bestselling author who is widely considered the next generation’s leader in the field of personal development. Born in Ghana, Kute’s multicultural upbringing as the child of a Japanese mother and a Ghanaian father has spanned four different continents. With his background and experience laying the blueprint for his unique approach to liberating others.Kute’s mission is simple: to awaken and inspire people across the planet to access inner freedom, live authentically, and fulfill their true life’s purpose. In today’s episode, you’ll find out how he does this, how his upbringing informs the work he does today, and how meditation made it impossible for Kute to deny it when he realized that he wasn’t following his destiny.You’ll also hear his incredible insights into success, service, and what he refers to as real greatness, as well as his belief in the power of daily commitment, reframing failure, and the infinite wisdom life offers us when we are willing to surrender. Kute believes that our path requires less control and more surrender than we're usually comfortable with and, to allow it to unfold and align us with our deepest intentions, we have to become practiced at the art of letting go. To learn more, make sure not to miss this inspiring conversation with transformational leader and exceptional storyteller, Kute Blackson!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Michael James Wong is today’s guest, the founder of Just Breathe, and a leading voice in the global movement for modern mindfulness. He is an author, speaker, community leader, and meditation teacher who is dedicated to expanding the conversation around mental health. As well as being internationally recognized for his work in the wellness community. Michael writes books about hope which is his unique way of being the change he wants to see in the world.The paper crane is an iconic symbol of hope, healing, and happiness. According to Japanese tradition, if a person were to fold 1,000 paper cranes in one year, they would be granted a single wish and a long and joyful life. In his beautiful and inspiring book about the art of folding paper cranes, Senbazuru: Small Steps to Hope, Healing and Happiness, Michael shares a personal collection of short stories and teachings, accompanied by traditional hand-painted proverbs and prayers.In today’s episode, we discuss the similarities between Michael’s book, Senbazuru, and Light’s book, Knowing Where to Look, which are both filled with gentle wisdom and axioms. Tuning in, you’ll learn about Michael’s backstory, growing up in a Chinese household in California with Kiwi roots, and his journey toward finding his calling as a wellness advocate and entrepreneur. We touch on the role Michael’s asthma played in making him more risk-averse, where the simple mantra that formed the essence of his business and philosophy originated, and how Michael translated the personal narrative that paper cranes represent to him into the book, as well as how his definition of success has evolved. Tune in today!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

In today’s episode, author, speaker, podcaster, and wellness entrepreneur, Jonathan Fields, shares the life experiences that led him to develop the concept for Sparketypes, from his time as a DJ to his time as an attorney, and how it took hitting rock bottom physically, emotionally, and mentally for him to start pursuing his true passions. Jonathan coined the word Sparketype to describe the unique imprint for the work that makes you come alive and fills you with meaning, joy, purpose, and possibility. You’ll learn about the genesis of the online assessment that Jonathan created and how it led to his recently released book, Sparked, which is a comprehensive guide filled with case studies, stories, and real-world applications to help you discover what you are meant to do and how to get started. We also touch on his experience of opening a yoga studio the day before 9/11, what Jonathan has realized about work and meaning, and the creative moments that he feels have ‘sparked’ feeling within himself, as well as why he describes himself as spiritually curious and optimistically skeptical. Tune in today to hear all this and more from Sparketypes creator, Jonathan Fields! Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!