Shows
Love Letters to Our BodiesBLACC - Peer Navigation Research ProjectCancer is one of the leading causes of death in the Black community, and we need to be about helping to save these lives. Today’s guest, Starla Gay, believes that she was born a community health advocate because she has been standing up for what is right since childhood! Starla is a health insurance specialist, community health activist, and BLACC activist. In this conversation, you’ll hear about Starla’s life and what led her to her career, what BLACC is and what they do, and a little bit about their Peer Navigation Research Project. We delve into the im...2024-11-2130 min
Love Letters to Our BodiesA Life of Purpose & Self-AdvocacySelf-love in times of physical and mental challenges is the best medicine.’ This powerful quote comes from today’s guest, Ms. Delorme McKee-Stovall, in her letter that was part of our first Love Letters to Our Bodies booklet. An ordained minister, peace and social justice advocate, and retired human rights and healthcare administrator, Delorme brings a wealth of wisdom and experience. In this episode, we delve into her career and educational journey, what sparked her passion for human rights advocacy, and her deeply personal experience of being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. She shares the challenges of navigating disp...2024-11-1536 min
Love Letters to Our BodiesBeyond Chemotherapy: Integrative Cancer Care Supports HealingShow Notes What if cancer care could go beyond managing symptoms to help patients truly heal in mind, body, and spirit? Joining us today is Melbra Watts, Executive Director of Charlotte Maxwell Clinic, a women’s health clinic in Oakland, California, offering free integrative care to under-served, low-income women with cancer. Melbra shares how this clinic goes beyond conventional care to deliver acupuncture, energy healing, nutritional counseling, and more, all in a space that honors the full person. Discover how their holistic support helps women manage pain, renew their spirits, and reclaim power in their hea...2024-11-0728 min
Love Letters to Our BodiesFood, Nutrition and CancerThere are many ways in which your health and nutrition affect your chances of getting cancer and how your body recovers from a cancer diagnosis. Today on Love Letters 2 Our Bodies, Assistant Professor of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Howard University, Dr. Linda Thompson joins us to discuss food and nutrition in relation to cancer. In this conversation, you’ll hear all about our guest and what inspired her to work in nutrition, how certain lifestyle choices increase the risk of cancer, the effect of chronic disease, stress, mental health, and food on cancer, and so much more! We...2024-10-3132 min
Love Letters to Our BodiesThe Black Beauty Justice ProjectEpisode 8: Show Notes Could the beauty products you're using be silently harming your health? In this powerful episode of the Love Letters 2 Our Bodies podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Astrid Williams, Director of Programs and Initiatives for the California Black Health Network, to reveal a disturbing truth: many of the beauty products marketed to Black women contain toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other serious health issues. Join us as Dr. Williams dives into the heart of the Conscious Black Beauty Movement (CBBM), which is fighting to protect our communities from these dangers while challenging th...2024-10-2430 min
Love Letters to Our BodiesThe Role of a Cancer DoulaToday’s episode shows how a cancer diagnosis is not the end of one’s life. We are joined by Talaya Dendy, a renowned cancer doula (and 12-year cancer thriver!) who in her daily life and work, goes above and beyond to provide guidance & support. Talaya discusses what she prioritized before and after her cancer diagnosis. We learn about her diagnosis and how her view of her body has changed, how she processed the trauma of her diagnosis, how her lived experiences pushed her to become a cancer doula, and the ins and outs a cancer doula’s role and res...2024-10-1729 min
Love Letters to Our BodiesThe Power of Intention and Sacred SpaceWhat if setting a simple intention could transform your life? In this powerful episode, Gwendolyn Mitchell sits down with Astrid Richardson-Ashley, a licensed clinical social worker and Reiki practitioner, to explore the profound impact of intention and sacred space in healing and personal growth. Together, they delve into how the Love Letters 2 Our Bodies workshops create safe, transformative environments for Black women to heal, connect, and align their minds, bodies, and spirits. From the introduction of the Soma process, an ancient ritual that brings peace and joy, to the importance of resilience, conscious awareness, and community, this episode is...2024-10-1038 min
Love Letters to Our BodiesThe Power of Living AuthenticallyShow NotesWhen a woman receives a breast cancer diagnosis, it can feel earth-shattering. However, as today’s incredible guest demonstrates, it can also serve as a powerful wake-up call to reevaluate and make meaningful changes that lead to a more authentic and fulfilling life. In this episode, we’re joined by Dee Manuel Cloud, an empowerment coach, author, speaker, and two-time breast cancer survivor. Her book, Beauty in the Breakdown: Finding Peace in the Midst of Life's Disruptions, encapsulates her mission to help women stop suffering in silence, reclaim their lives after trauma, and elev...2024-10-0334 min
Love Letters to Our BodiesEmbracing Life Navigating Multiple MyelomaAccording to the International Myeloma Foundation, African Americans in the US make up 20% of all multiple myeloma patients, despite comprising only 14% of the country’s population. While science has yet to find a cure, today’s guest, Valarie Traynham, is undeterred. A multiple myeloma thriver, breast cancer survivor, and patient leader, Valarie sheds light on health disparities and advocates for those who cannot speak for themselves. Diagnosed at just 42, she shares her personal journey through the often-overlooked symptoms of this rare blood cancer, the challenges African Americans often face in receiving timely diagnoses, and the critical role of early inte...2024-09-2625 min
Love Letters to Our BodiesLosing a Leg and Finding a Life PurposeWhat if your greatest challenge became the key to unlocking your true purpose? In this inspiring episode, we’re joined by internationally renowned motivational speaker, personal trainer, and triathlete Erin “Bionic” Brown, who turned a life-altering tragedy into a story of triumph. After losing her leg to cancer at a young age, Erin embarked on a journey that propelled her into a life of empowerment and advocacy. Today, she is a passionate advocate for adaptive sports, encouraging others to overcome life’s obstacles with courage and determination. As a mother, athlete, and mentor, Erin draws on her personal experiences to promo...2024-09-1927 min
Love Letters to Our BodiesMaking Peace with Life's ChallengesHow do we find peace and healing in the face of life’s toughest challenges? In this episode, host Gwendolyn Mitchell is joined by Dr. Lucretia Bolin, a Ph.D.-trained family nurse practitioner, advocate, and BIPOC wellness coach with over three decades of experience in public health, addiction recovery, and violence prevention. In our conversation, Dr. Bolin shares her powerful personal journey as a cancer survivor and healthcare worker, offering insight into the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of healing. Together, they delve into the deep connection between trauma, body health, and community healing. Dr. Bolin's reflections on th...2024-09-1244 min
Love Letters to Our BodiesWhy Love Letters 2 Our BodiesWelcome to the first episode of Love Letters 2 Our Bodies, with your host, Gwendolyn Mitchell, Founder and CEO of MOYO Institute, Inc. As a lifelong spiritual seeker and energy worker, Gwendolyn leads thoughtful conversations on health, healing, and happiness, by, for, and about Black and African American women. In this debut episode, she explores the profound impact of chronic stress, especially among African Americans, and its link to poor health outcomes like cancer and diabetes. While acknowledging racism’s role in exacerbating chronic stress, Gwendolyn powerfully advocates for radical self-care as a path to changing these harmful dynamics. Tuning in...2024-09-0638 minLove Letters to Our BodiesComing Soon - Love Letters 2 Our BodiesEpisode Trailer: Show Notes Host Gwendolyn Mitchell invites you to Love Letters 2 Our Bodies, a podcast exploring health, healing, and happiness with a focus on Black women’s wellbeing. From health disparities to spiritual empowerment, this podcast tackles how we think, feel, and live in today’s world. In season one, you’ll hear from sisters who’ve faced a cancer diagnosis and turned their journeys into stories of self-discovery and triumph. Episodes launch Thursday, September 12, with weekly releases. Learn more at MOYO Institute, Inc., and subscribe to join the conversation!Quotes...2024-09-0602 min
Navigating Cancer TOGETHERHow Gwendolyn Mitchell is Using Her Healing Gifts to Help Those with CancerGwendolyn has been a life-long seeker of higher wisdom. As a child she was drawn to elders and was often described as being an “old soul.” She was the third of 10 siblings, which she describes as perfect training for leadership, dealing with many different personalities, and learning to deal compassionately with conflict.
Helping others has been a lifelong passion. Gwendolyn became a Reiki Master in the early 90s, in the Usui System of Natural Healing - to help eliminate human suffering. She has supported clients seeking balance and healing at every stage of life. She previously served as P...2023-10-2545 min
Vineyard of Red Wind©️Good GriefExperiencing Grief? Take a listen and gather strategies on how to grieve good. Whether you have had to celebrate the life of a child or someone dear to your heart, or even the experience tangible loss, there is a healthy way to grieve. In loving memory of LCPl Qualin J. Mitchell2023-06-2706 min
Voices From the Choir: Oh Happy Day ReflectionsGwendolyn MitchellGwendolyn Lee MitchellGwendolyn Lee Mitchell is the youngest sister of Arva Campbell and one of the youngest members of The Northern California State Youth Choir, at the age of 14. Gwen talks about growing up in The Bay Area surrounded by the youth of Ephesians Church of God In Christ. She describes being on tour as a family affair, the many siblings who were part of the choir, and the parents who chaperoned when they toured. She shares her favorite songs on the album and how this music became an important part of who she is today.2023-05-1538 minVoices From the Choir: Oh Happy Day ReflectionsGwendolyn Lee MitchellGwendolyn Lee Mitchell is the youngest sister of Arva Campbell and one of the youngest members of The Northern California State Youth Choir, at the age of 14. Gwen talks about growing up in The Bay Area surrounded by the youth of Ephesians Church of God In Christ. She describes being on tour as a family affair, the many siblings who were part of the choir, and the parents who chaperoned when they toured. She shares her favorite songs on the album and how this music became an important part of who she is today.Highlights:A...2023-04-1238 min
You Are Not Invisible After 50S2 Episode 5: When One Becomes You with Gwendolyn MitchellReiki master, meditation teacher, and all-round spiritual luminary, Gwendolyn Mitchell is the founder and CEO of Moyo Institute Inc – a non-profit organisation whose mission is to offer heart-centred educational experiences that foster inner peace, happiness, wellbeing, creativity, connection, and oneness. By utilising her two decades of corporate experience, Gwendolyn has developed several spiritual programmes that assists individuals’ experience of true spiritual wellness including a scholarship program that helps youth travel to India to develop inner skills, a meditation program for women in custody at the Elmwood Correctional Center, and her current ongoing project, Love Letters to Our Bodies, that supp...2023-03-0831 min
Don't MindDon't Mind | Cruxmont | Ep. 14The Cruxmont council of elders convenes and fates are decided.Credits:Written and Created by K. A. StatzProduced and Directed with Sound Design and Editing by Travis VengroffExecutive Producers Dennis Greenhill, Carol Vengroff, AJ Punk'n, & Maico VillegasEditing, Sound Design, Mixing & Mastering by Dayn LeonardsonAdditional Dialogue Editing by Austin BeachScript Consulting by Gemma AmorScript Editing by W. K. StatzCasting Assistance by Newtown Artist Management LtdCast:2022-11-0137 min
Don't MindDon't Mind | Cruxmont | Ep. 13Neal and Gwen are confronted as they attempt to leave Cruxmont.Credits:Written and Created by K. A. StatzProduced and Directed with Sound Design and Editing by Travis VengroffExecutive Producers Dennis Greenhill, Carol Vengroff, AJ Punk'n, & Maico VillegasEditing, Sound Design, Mixing & Mastering by Dayn LeonardsonAdditional Dialogue Editing by Austin BeachScript Consulting by Gemma AmorScript Editing by W. K. StatzCasting Assistance by Newtown Artist Management LtdCast:2022-10-1837 min