SashaSpins

One of my sisters always says "if you never expect anything from anyone, you'll never be disappointed." In today's episode, we're exploring that mentality from a different perspective and also how we can build/ work on our own boundaries, standards, and expectations.

Let's talk about being the squeaky wheel. Closed mouths don't get fed and no one is just going to hand you anything or what you deserved, unless of course you're one of the privileged and protected in which case lucky you! For the rest of us, this episode is a compilation of 3 tips I can offer you having over 3 decades of being the squeaky wheel under my belt. In this episode, you'll learn how to speak up and advocate for yourself smartly to get what you want out of life. Not only what you want but what you deserve. Let's get right on into it honeyyy!

Ya girl is a Lululemon Ambassador! To say I am honored, excited, still somewhat shocked, grateful, proud, and humbled all at the same time would be an understatement. This has been a journey that's been 6 years in the making. As I reflect on this time in the fitness industry, the highs, the lows, being the squeaky wheel, and rebuilding during a pandemic, one thing that stands out is remembering your WHY and letting that guide your goals, vision, and motivations. Trust in the timing of your life, what's for you will never pass you so if it's meant for you, it's going to happen. Let's talk about it!

Burnout! What is it? What does it look like? How do you address and begin to fix it? That's what we're covering in today's episode as I come off a spell of burnout. It took me a minute to recognize what was going on and if you're experiencing the same, I'm here to help you approach it from a mindfulness perspective. Let's get into it!

Happy Black History Month! I wanted to wait until the end of the month to share my thoughts on Black History Month - ranging from pride, joy, and excitement to frustration, disappointment, feeling drained, and ultimately disappointed. This starts off in childhood as often the only or one of few Black kids in class through experiencing life as balancing two identifies - a 1st generation Nigerian American and culturally being raised as such, one foot in that world, while also a Black American with my other foot in that world dealing with all the stereotypes, discrimination, prejudice, and racism that comes with that. Black History Month has become a lot less complicated growing up and understanding both of my identities. With the understanding of age also comes awareness and ultimately at times disappointment in society as a whole with how Black History Month has become little more than performance theater during February. So yeah, complicated feelings I wanted to wait until the end of the month to share in hopes that we can stop the performance of Black History Month that's so often present when celebrating and be more intentional year-round.

In my last episode I talked about being your own goals and how important being aligned with your why will help you achieve your goals however about 15 minutes into the episode I realized that was kind of like putting the cart before the horse. None of it will make no sense if you don't know what your why is. If you don't even know how to find it. So today's episode is a two-parter and actually should've been the first episode but here we are. In this episode we'll cover: what is your “why”, how to find your why, and how leading with your why will change your thoughts, which will change your actions, your habits, and ultimately change your life. Good stuff so grab a journal, a piece of paper, get ready to get uncomfortable, and let's dive in!

Nearly a month into the new year, how are your resolutions and goals coming along? Keyword - YOUR! If not so good, maybe it's time to go back to the drawing board and reflect on why that is and dig a little bit deeper as it pertains to your motivations and intentions behind this goal. A lot of us without knowing it take on goals the goals of others thinking that if we do what they do or have what they have then that'll get us where we want to be in life or who we want to be however that couldn't be further from the truth. Yes it's alright to be inspired by others however if your goals and resolutions are not in line with your personal 'why", then your actions won't line up because you're misaligned. Let's talk about it and the importance of being your own goals!

"It's just a preference." Right? Wrong. How many times have you heard that tired phrase that has been used to normalize, dismiss, and downplay racism, prejudice, and bias, particularly when it comes to Black women? It's time to have an honest conversation about how this "preference" excuse is over 500 years of conditioning. Conditioning that has a certain aesthetic and group at the top and another at the bottom of some racialized hierarchy of beauty. Misogynoir is as American as apple pie and when I hear people dismiss their racism and disgust of Black women as a "preference", it goes to show just how little people understand how much they've been conditioned by westernized/ European beauty standards and white supremacy. Let's talk about it!

Happy New Year! There's all of this energy around this time of year as people are setting their goals and resolutions for the year. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or comparing your goals against someone else, this episode is for you! Challenge yourself to taking a new approach to goal setting this year. Instead of just thinking about what you want to achieve- think about how you want to feel then make those goals. Listen to the episode to see how and happy goal-setting!

The idea of women “having it all”, newly reframed as “balance” is nothing new but a recent interview my friend sent me of Gabrielle Union on vehemently rejecting this lie, this myth, this toxic notion had me like YASSSSS! In today's episode, let's talk about why this myth still exists and how we as women can stop it and reframe what “all” looks like/ means for us, individually.

6 years ago I got certified as a spinning instructor and have been teaching since 2016. The rest is history! Well not history but the present. It's been 5 years of fun, realizations, connections, tears, highs, lows, yeses, and nos so I'd say a look back is in order. Let's get into it!

In last week's episode we discussed internal self-awareness. Because none of us exists in a vacuum, we need to be mindful of the ripple effects our behavior has on others which begs the question in the title - am I choosing to be a blessing for others? Today we're talking external self-awareness which boils down to being aware of the impact our words, actions, and energy is felt by others. Understanding this essentially comes down to mindfulness - being present in the moment and possessing a certain amount of internal self-awareness.

Self-awareness is at an all time low but it doesn't have to be the case for you. In this episode, we're talking about how to establish self-awareness, what self-awareness means when it comes to finding your why, and using both to ultimately become the person you want to be to get to where you want to be.

I've talked about this before in a previous podcast, probably about a year ago at this point, this idea of "returning to normal". Normal wasn't working and I genuinely think the desire to run back to broken systems, burnout, unhealthy behaviors, stressful situations, and toxic environments is a missed opportunity to reflect and act upon everything we learned during this panini and ensuing quarantine that has changed everything. It's a sign that the devil we know is better than the we don't however how can we know better, or that it will even be a devil, if we don't give it a try? We reacted and were forced to put new systems in place but should we be quick to throw those solutions that arose from the quarantine out just because we want to go back to things as they were before? No, I don't think so. Let's talk about it and continue to interrogate why we are so wanting to run back to certain things.

It's been a minute. More like 4 whole months, wow! In this episode I'm talking all things SoulCycle, where I've been, what I've been up to the past four months, and changes! I've never been a fan of change however this has felt like a season of change that doesn't show a single sign of stopping any time soon. Let's talk about it!

Remember the days we hoped, prayed, manifested, and wished for what we have now? How quickly we forget about those days. In a society that puts so much energy and attention toward constant consumption and materialism, it is so important for us to be mindful to practice gratitude every single day and appreciation what we have here and now. Tomorrow is not promised or guaranteed yet in the pursuit of happiness, we forget this and forget to live in the present. We think that if we *just* have this one thing, if we just lose xyz pounds, or whatever else we're coveting, that everything will all of a sudden be better and we'll be happier. True happiness is appreciating what you have in the moment, no matter how big or small. Let's talk about!

We spend so much of our day prioritizing others, moving from task to task, and checking off items on our to-do list. What sometimes gets lost in this shuffle is making time to take care of ourselves. For our 8 meditation today, I offer you this practice as a moment to prioritize your own self-care and make time for you. 

Took a little break but I’m back and excited to share the launch of my workshop - thoughts on my From Scarcity to Abundance Workshop: Diversity & Inclusion in the Fitness Industry. This workshop is scheduled for April 14, 2021 at 6 PM EST via Zoom & you can purchase tickets via the link in my Instagram bio. This was months in the making, truly a labor of love born out of a desire to create and improve health, wellness, and fitness spaces that are diverse, equitable, inclusive, and representative of BIPOC. In the podcast today, I talk about how I infuse mindfulness practices and mindset into this training to confront discrimination, racism, prejudice, inequality, lack of opportunity, and other ills born out of scarcity within our society that bleed into the fitness and wellness industry.

Take some time out of your day to show yourself some kindness. What would happen if the kindness and empathy we so freely give to others we showed to ourselves? No journaling for today's meditation, just you and an open heart ready to show yourself love and kindness.

It’s nothing new that white privilege runs rampant in many spaces including work environments which makes them very toxic environments for Black people and BIPOC however it’s very rare to witness as explicit of an example as we did last week. On March 11, 2021’s episode of The Talk, Sharon Osbourne thought it was a good idea to cuss out and verbally berate her coworker Sheryl Underwood on national television. The show is currently on hiatus pending an investigation but if the shoe had been on the other foot and Sheryl Underwood as a black woman did the same thing Sharon Osbourne did, there would be no investigation. Underwood would have lost her job. Nearly every Black person in the work place has a story involving a coworker of this nature. I know I do. Let’s talk about!

Our self-talk is comprised of our inner thoughts and the messages we tell ourselves. If you exist in a scarcity mentality, those thoughts can often be limiting, negative, and hyper critical. This meditation and journaling is an opportunity for us to become keenly aware of our self-talk and shift it from the negative to the positive, one breath at a time.

I watched Soul (there may be some spoilers so if you’re emotional about spoilers, don’t listen to this just yet) and whew chiiiiile, Disney & Pixar unloaded the clip on me and my emotions with this one! Talk about a movie that really makes you think about your life and whether you’re really living or just going through life, waiting for a “big moment” to kickstart your life. If that’s you, or you just watched the movie and felt ALL the emotions, let’s talk about it!

Affirmations may sound very woo but they are exceptionally powerful. We can literally change our life with affirmations and positive thinking. I've seen this change in my own life and would encourage everyone to establish an affirmation practice, like yesterday! Listen more to learn about affirmations, what they are, how to use them, and how to establish a practice of your own.

80% of our thoughts on a daily basis are negative. They are so pervasive we may not be cognizant of them however in the times we are dealing directly with negativity, this meditation and the breath we practice during the mediation can help clear away those negative thoughts and energy. There is a brief journaling portion after the meditation if you would like to reflect on anything that came up for you during the meditation.

I recently posted a few pieces of content about boundaries on Instagram and TikTok that seemed to resonate and align with a lot of people and receive so much feedback and questions. Usually when that happens, that’s a sign that it’s time to have a deeper conversation so we’re talking about it here on SashaSpins! Where does the 40 days come in? We’ve entered the season of Lent and while this is a Christian holiday, I wanted to invite others in and spend my Lent helping others along the way on their journey of self-care and self-love.

A meditation in which we take the time to get rooted, open our hearts, and listen to the messages it may be trying to send us. 

Oh wow, say that five times fast! When we talk about diversity, representation, inclusion, and equity, these are terms that people sometimes use interchangeably but they have distinct and impactful different meanings and outcomes. For example, just because diversity and representation is present in an organization or environment, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is inclusive or equitable. Diversity and representation without equity and inclusion amounts to tokenism and if you see this in your spaces, it’s time to act. Let’s talk about it!

Our thoughts become our actions which manifest in how we talk to an treat ourselves, how we allow ourselves to be treated, and ultimately how we treat others. It all starts with self-talk which is the messages we tell ourselves. These messages are the soundtrack to and of our lives. Of the thousands of thoughts we think each day, 80% of them are negative. During our meditation today, we reflect on this negative self-talk and how we can ultimately change the messages we are sending ourselves because we are worthy of joy, love, and good things.

Self-Love is a journey for many that begins with a change of mindset and incorporates other elements and necessary changes along the way. Today we’re talking self-love and all those other changes, big and small from avoiding falling into comparison traps and evaluating the people we keep around us, that need to occur along the way in order to get us to that destination.

During our meditation today, we get in tune with our body moving through a body scan starting from our toes to the crown of our, releasing any tension and stress we may be holding onto with our breath as a guide. Afterward we will go through a written reflection on how we can better use our breath to become more in tune with releasing stress in the moment so it doesn't have an opportunity to take root as stress we hold within. 

I was so hesitant, had so many reservations & concerns but I did it... I finally joined TikTok! This is more light hearted content on the podcast today but me joining TikTok was something I ruminated on for months. I’ve heard so much about and saw it with my own eyes that TikTok not being a safe space for Black women and Black content creators. Plus with me being a millennial, I felt more comfortable on Instagram and Facebook. In today’s podcast, I reflect on why what finally get me to join, my experiences so far, and how my first video of how to use a salad cutter bowl of all things has garnered 60k views & counting!

With so much out of our on control, the things we can always control are our breath and how we show up. Use this meditation as a guide to set the tone for your day, the pace for your day, and how you are showing up. 

Imposter syndrome is very real and we all may experience it a time or two in our lives or maybe unfortunately walk through it everyday. The thing is, what if is what you’re experiencing is not imposter syndrome but instead internalizing other people's energy, projections, implicit biases, and low expectations of you? And what if in order to start to move us to shake this mindset, we need to remove certain elements from our reality? Today we’re talking about imposter syndrome, scarcity mentality, and the type of people in your life to be mindful of that may be the source of your imposter syndrome.

Self-care is such an important but understated and often misunderstood practice. During our meditation, we take the time to reflect on self-care and how we can make it a priority. Self-care at it’s core is a practice in which we make time to care and love on ourselves, understanding we cannot pour from an empty cup so we make our wellness, health, and happiness our attention. It doesn’t have to be something super indulgent or an all time consuming process. and speaking of time, self-care is something we should prioritize and make non-negotiable time for in our day rather than simply hoping we’ll get around to.

Unplugging from social media and opting out of the 24/7/365 media news sources in general can provide many benefits to our mental wellness however unplugging doesn’t have to mean unaware or uninformed. As in all things, we must create a balance that works for us to protect our peace, joy, energy, and mental health. Let’s talk about it!

How often have you just known or felt something to be true because your “gut” tells you? That “gut instinct”? That right there is your intuition at work, our sixth sense, that seat of intuition that operates from our limbic and reptilian systems that we tap and lean into during our practice today. For our practice today we will also be journaling so you will need a pen and a journal if you are called to written reflection.

What do you hear when people say, “I don’t want to get political” when the topic of civil rights, equality, and human rights come up? For me, I hear “I don’t want to talk about issues that do not impact me.” Not wanting to get political is a luxury. With Martin Luther King Day around the corner, these same people will then quote him even though he led with the values of equality, civil rights, and human rights. Today we’re talking about influencers, influential people, and just people like you and me on the gram who need to start getting “political” and leading with their values, the white moderate, and showing up intentionally.

One of our longer but necessary meditations at 15 minutes, the love and kindness meditation is one that positions us to send out much needed love, kindness, stillness, forgiveness, peace, and happiness out into the universe. I offer you this mediation to start your year off on the right food and to come back to at any time when you need a little more self-love. For today's meditation, we will not be journaling afterward but I encourage you to take any time you need afterward to reflect or sit with your thoughts and write them out if that's what you feel called to.

It’s that time of year again, when diet culture and exercise solely as a means of weight loss are flooding every single platform. I cannot think of a more damaging mindset or approach to fitness and wellness than pushing the idea that there is only one goal when it comes to exercise. In today’s podcast, we’re talking how harmful this mentality is and ways to say NO to diet culture and instead take a new approach to diet and exercise!

For our chakra/ body scan meditation today, I offer you the intention of focus as we move through our chakras today and release tension throughout our body. This meditation is powerful enough on it's own as we move our presence and energy from the external to the internal, becoming aware of what we may be holding onto in our body and working our way through releasing it. 

I watched more TV this year than I have ever watched before, thanks quarantine and chill! A review of all of the TV shows I watched in 2020. Some programs were informative, others were just to pass the time, and some watched because everyone was talking about it and ya girl have into peer pressure. Remember Love Is Blind? Yeah, I definitely got caught up in that for a minute! There are some spoilers here so if you’re sensitive about those, be mindful of that. You’ve been warned!

Whether we recognize it or not, we often move through life holding onto negative energy, emotions, thoughts, and feelings which become a weight. That weight removes us from our center and balance and can impact our peace. During our practice today, we meditate with the intention of becoming aware of what we may be holding onto and releasing that weight followed by 5 minutes of journaling to close out our practice.

What a year! In this episode, we’re revisiting and reviewing all of the books that I read, re-read, and I’m still in the process of reading in 2020! This was a unique year in many respects and one of those for me was how much I was able to read! I FINALLY embraced audio/ e-books and for the first time in years I was able to stick to my one book a month promise I made to myself. Let’s review all of these books!

So often, we move through our day addressing the needs of others and responding to everything we are called. For our meditation this Wellthy Wednesday, I offer you the intention of making time to show up for you, to take what you need when you need it, and make time for you. Wellthy Wednesdays are moment for us to take a break from the busy world around us and come together here on SashaSpins for 5 to 10 minutes of meditation allowing us to get centered and bring balance or a few necessary moments of stillness to our day.

The holidays are often a stressful time of year for women but it doesn’t have to be. This year, drop your end of the rope and recognize that you can create the holiday season you want, drama and stress free!

Wellthy Wednesdays are moment for us to take a break from the busy world around us and come together here on SashaSpins for 5 to 10 minutes of meditation allowing us to get centered and bring balance or a few necessary moments of stillness to our day. Some l Wednesdays will feature guided meditations, others guided journal prompts, and some Wednesdays we’ll do both. For today’s Wellthy Wednesday, we’ll be doing a five minute intention meditation followed by a five minutes of journaling.

How many times has someone been caught using racist language only for them to cry ignorant when called out? Noah Cyrus has recently found herself on the receiving end of backlash and being called out after for using racially insensitive and racist word, “nappy”, to take a swipe at Candace Owens only to fall back on the excuse she “didn’t know” what the word meant and the context it was used in. She isn’t the first person to do this, won’t be the last. In today’s episode, we’re talking about why ignorance is not an acceptable excuse and why “I didn’t know” is NO LONGER grounds to give people a pass to remain in the lap of ignorant luxury.

Wellthy Wednesdays are moment for us to take a break from the busy world around us and come together here on SashaSpins for 5 to 10 minutes of meditation allowing us to get centered and bring balance or a few necessary moments of stillness to our day. Some l Wednesdays will feature guided meditations, others guided journal prompts, and some Wednesdays we’ll do both. For today’s Wellthy Wednesday, we’ll be doing a five minute gratitude meditation.

If you find yourself tired of talking about racism, I’m here to tell you you’re not alone. The fact that you’re tired of talking about it means you need to keep having those conversations. Today we’re talking about how those conversations can move to actions and how you can continue to show up even though we’re still in quarantine.

“What do you do?” If it seems like that’s the first question people ask upon meeting you, you’re not alone or wrong. But it’s the wrong question to ask and in time I hope people will stop. Considering the fact we live in a capitalistic society that bases people’s worth and value on what they produce, it’s not surprising but “what we do” can be taken away in the blink of an eye. And then what? How do you define yourself then? What’s left? Something much more important actually - Who You Are. How do you answer that? Let’s talk about it!

Years ago I found myself in an immobilizing and inhibiting cycle of fear. Allowing fear to guide nearly every decision and thinking about every thing that could possibly gone wrong. I found fitness and this fear melted away. Sharing that journey today and reflecting on the power of the word JUST in motivating us to shift from scarcity of fear to abundance.