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Get a Vyky kit! https://stories.vyky.coTHIRTY EPISODES, WOW!This week, we finally sat down with Bijou Baidoe! She's an actress, creator, and an all-round star. We got into the age-old argument: does hard work really take you far, or do some people start life on easy mode? Bijou opened up about her journey, the role of connections, and what it really takes to break into entertainment.As always, Afi and Zuu came with the stories including the hilarious moment Bijou and Zuu almost met Shatta Wale. We also touched on the Ghana movie scene, building a career, and how privilege shows up in creative spaces.Another very honest, very funny, very Stay By Plan episode. Tune in and enjoy the chaos as always!
Ghana ist der führende Goldproduzent Afrikas. Das westafrikanische Land exportiert den kostbaren Rohstoff in alle Welt – auch in die Schweiz. Doch der Abbau von Gold ist komplex, schwer kontrollierbar – und manchmal auch illegal. In Ghanas Goldregion rund um die Stadt Tarkwa liegen Welten zwischen den internationalen Industrieminen und den Goldschürfern, die illegal und oft mit einfachsten Mitteln nach dem kostbaren Rohstoff suchen. «Es ist gefährlich und schwierig, da hinunterzusteigen», erklärt ein Kleinmineur, der ohne Bewilligung arbeitet. «Aber es ist einer der einfachsten Wege, zu Geld zu kommen». Zwei Welten: Hier die gut bewachten Hightech-Minen, mit modernsten Maschinen, zertifiziertem Gold und ausgefeilter Logistik. Dort die schmutzigen, einfachen und illegalen Kleinminen. Und doch vermischen sich diese beiden Welten öfter als offiziell zugegeben wird. Denn dort, wo illegal abgebaut wird, und wo der Schürfabfall zu scheinbar wertlosen Haufen aufgeschüttet wird, liegt nicht nur Erde. Sondern sehr viel Geld. Und ein ganzer Graubereich des globalen Goldhandels.
Das Goldgeschäft ist gerade in unsicheren Zeiten lukrativ. Doch was passiert eigentlich mit jenem Gold, das illegal abgebaut wird? SRF-Afrikakorrespondent Fabian Urech ist dieser Frage in Ghana nachgegangen. Im Talk erzählt er ausserdem, was das Gold in Ghana mit dem Preis von Schokolade zu tun hat.
Mr. Beast Biography Flash a weekly Biography.In the past few days Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, has been in the news less for a single viral stunt and more for the long term architecture of his empire. TechCrunch reports that his CEO Jeff Housenbold is now openly floating the idea of taking Beast Industries public one day, with the explicit goal of letting fans become owners of the company. That IPO talk is still speculative and no filing has been made, but the fact it is being discussed on the record underscores that MrBeast is now positioning himself less as a lone creator and more as the head of a future consumer entertainment conglomerate. TechCrunch also notes leaked figures, originally reported by Bloomberg, indicating that his Feastables chocolate line has already become more profitable than both his flagship YouTube channel and his Prime Video show Beast Games, a shift that suggests his long term biography may be defined as much by CPG and IP as by YouTube views.At the same time, Donaldson is trying to evolve his philanthropic brand. Fortune and an official announcement from the Rockefeller Foundation both confirm a new strategic partnership between Beast Philanthropy and the 112 year old foundation, aimed at combining his youth reach with their expertise in helping the worlds most vulnerable communities. The Rockefeller Foundation says the collaboration will include joint work in places like Ghana early next year, and Donaldson has been quoted saying he wants their guidance to avoid repeating philanthropy mistakes and to turn his massive, often spectacle driven giving into what he calls real lasting change. Framed biographically, this looks like the opening chapter in a shift from viral charity videos to institutional philanthropy with establishment partners.That Ghana focus also ties into a more public facing, participatory campaign. The 1 Billion Followers Summit has posted terms and conditions for a 1 Billion Acts of Kindness campaign run in collaboration with MrBeast, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and the Varkey Foundation. The campaign invites creators worldwide to post videos of acts of kindness with specific hashtags and, for ten selected winners, includes a fully paid trip to the summit and a journey with MrBeast to Ghana to help build a village and appear in his content. The documents make clear this is a formally structured initiative, with content licensing, code of conduct and legal waivers spelled out, which again speaks to how systematized the MrBeast operation has become.On the media side, MrBeast has also just appeared in a long form conversation titled MrBeast on Cracking the Attention Economy, alongside CEO Jeff Housenbold. In that discussion, promoted on YouTube, the pair lay out how they think about attention, business growth and the responsibilities that come with their influence. While not a headline making controversy, it is a notable public appearance because it continues to cement Donaldson as a leading voice on the future of entertainment, not just a practitioner inside it.Meanwhile, storm clouds remain in the background. TechCrunch points out that Beast Industries is still locked in litigation with Virtual Dining Concepts over the collapse of MrBeast Burger, and that lawsuits from contestants on the first season of Beast Games alleging mistreatment and a misogynistic culture are ongoing. In a recent DealBook appearance covered by TechCrunch, Donaldson spoke cautiously about those suits, essentially portraying them as an almost inevitable byproduct of running a 2000 person gameshow, rather than as evidence of systemic failure, a framing that will likely be revisited in any serious biography of his rise.There are, as always, countless unverified rumors swirling on social media about upcoming videos, new Feastables flavors, and a possible second large scale series order from Amazon, but at this stage those remain speculation without confirmation from MrBeast or major outlets.Thank you for listening, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update on MrBeast. To dive into more fast paced life stories like this one, search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Mr. Beast. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."Get the best deals https://amzn.to/4mMClBvThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Kelly Cates and a range of guests react to the World Cup draw!Dion Dublin, Ian Dennis & Don Hutchinson reflect on England drawing Croatia, Ghana & Panama, before we hear from manager Thomas Tuchel from Washington.Pat Nevin joins the pod to discuss Scotland drawing Brazil, Morocco & Haiti, as does Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes! We then hear from Scotland boss Steve Clarke.Julien Laurens joins the pod to look at France's potential 'Group of Death', plus how the rest of Europe's top nations may fair. We hear from Cape Verde player Roberto Lopes as they head to the World Cup for the first time, and John Bennett provides insight into the rest of Africa's nations, plus Oceania too. Tim Vickery joins us as we delve deep into Brazil, Argentina and the rest of South America.And finally we hear from correspondent John Murray, having attended a delayed, but bonkers World Cup draw!Timecodes:06:26 England group reaction 13:10 Thomas Tuchel interview 16:55 Scotland group reaction 20:55 Lyndon Dykes joins the pod 28:33 Steve Clarke interview 31:20 The rest of Europe 43:30 Cape Verde's Lopes joins the pod 48:43 The rest of Africa & Oceania too 50:26 South America chat 55:40 John Murray rounds up the drawCommentaries this weekend:Saturday 6th December PREMIER LEAGUE: Bournemouth v Chelsea 1500 KO - 5 LIVE PREMIER LEAGUE: Spurs v Brentford 1500 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 3 PREMIER LEAGUE: Leeds v Liverpool 1730 KO - 5 LIVE FA CUP: Chelmsford City v West-super-Mare 1500 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 2 FA CUP: Sutton United v Shrewsbury 1715 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 3 FA CUP: Chesterfield v Doncaster Rovers 1930 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 3 WSL: Arsenal v Liverpool 1200 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 3Sunday 7th December PREMIER LEAGUE: Brighton v West Ham 1400 KO - SPORTS EXTRA PREMIER LEAGUE: Fulham v Crystal Palace 1630 KO - 5 LIVE FA CUP: Slough Town v Macclesfield 1230 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 3 FA CUP: Gateshead v Walsall 1530 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 3 FA CUP: Blackpool v Carlisle United 1730 KO - SPORTS EXTRA
Miishe Addy started her first company in California's Silicon Valley followed by another business in Accra, Ghana. Now, she runs one of Africa's fastest-growing logistics tech firms.She describes how she's tackling the hidden costs of African trade, and what she's learned as a female founder building companies in two continents.If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresenter: Sam Fenwick Producers: Ahmed Adan and Niamh McDermott(Picture: Miishe Addy. Credit: Jetstream)
Join us this Thursday morning for an exciting session with the multi-talented researcher Keidi Awadu! Brother Keidi will delve into the fascinating world of autophagy, illuminating its significance and the incredible health benefits it offers. Additionally, he’ll share insights about a groundbreaking project he’s spearheading in Ghana. Kicking off the morning, we will also hear from Naturopathic doctor and restaurateur Dr. Baruch, who will present tantalizing alternatives to the traditional Thanksgiving meal, ensuring your holiday is both delicious and health-conscious.*Originally aired on 11.27.25*See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After what felt like a nine hour draw England will face Croatia, Ghana and Panama. Scotland will face Haiti, Morocco and Brazil.Is there a group of death? What are the potential routes to the final?Over to Tom Clarke, Gregor Robertson and Jonathan Northcroft Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Stories have a way of helping us recognize ourselves, and that's exactly what happened in my conversation with Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond. Nana shares what it was like to grow up in Queens, then suddenly move to a boarding school in Ghana, and how that experience shaped her identity in ways she's still uncovering today. As Nana describes her path from writer to author, her years of persistence, and the curiosity that led to books like Powder Necklace and Blue, I felt a deep connection to her commitment to keep creating even when the process feels uncertain. We also explored trust, partnership, and the lessons my guide dogs have taught me—all ideas that tie into the heart of Nana's storytelling. This conversation is an invitation to see your own life with more clarity, courage, and compassion. Highlights: 00:00:10 – Step into a conversation that explores how stories shape courage and connection. 00:01:41 – See how early environments influence identity and spark deeper questions about belonging. 00:02:55 – Learn how a major cultural shift can expand perspective and redefine personal truth. 00:23:05 – Discover what creative persistence looks like when the path is long and uncertain. 00:27:45 – Understand what distinguishes writing from fully embracing authorship. 00:33:22 – Explore how powerful storytelling draws people into a moment rather than just describing it. 00:46:45 – Follow how curiosity about history can unlock unexpected creative direction. 00:59:31 – Gain insight into why treating a publisher as a partner strengthens both the work and the audience reach. About the Guest: Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond is the author of Powder Necklace: A Novel, the award-winning children's picture book Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky, the collection Relations: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices, and My Parents' Marriage: A Novel. Tapped for her passion about Africa's rich fashion traditions and techniques, Brew-Hammond was commissioned by the curators of Brooklyn Museum's "Africa Fashion" exhibit to pen and perform an original poem for the museum's companion short film of the same name. In the clip, she wore a look from the made-in-Ghana lifestyle line she co-founded with her mother and sister, Exit 14. The brand was featured on Vogue.com. Every month, Brew-Hammond co-leads the Redeemed Writers Group whose mission is to write light into the darkness. Learn more about it here.Learn more at nanabrewhammond.com. Ways to connect with Nana**:** Instagram, Facebook and Threads: @nanaekuawriter Twitter: @nanaekua www.NanaBrewHammond.com ORDER my new novel MY PARENTS' MARRIAGE Read 2023 NCTE Award Winner & NAACP Image Award Nominee BLUE: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky Read RELATIONS: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices , stories, essays & poems by new and established Black writers Shop Exit 14 , all weather, uniquely designed, 100% cotton apparel sustainably made in Ghana About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson 01:20 And a pleasant, Good day to you all, wherever you happen to be, I would like to welcome you to another episode of unstoppable mindset. Today, we get to have a conversation with Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond And Nana has a lot of interesting things to talk about. She's written books, she's done a variety of different things, and rather than me giving it all away, it'll be more fun to let her tell the stories and get a chance for us to listen to her. She is in Oakland, California, so she's at the other end of the state for me, and we were just comparing the weather. It's a lot colder where she is than where I live down here in Victorville, where today it's 104 degrees outside. And Nana, you said it was like, what, somewhere around 70. Yeah, it's 68 There you go. See lovely weather. Well, Nana, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here, and I want to thank you for taking the time to be with us. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 02:23 I feel the same way. Thank you for having me on your amazing show. And it's so wonderful to be in conversation with you. Michael Hingson 02:30 Well, I'm glad we get a chance to spend some time together and we can, we can talk about whatever we want to talk about and make it relevant and interesting. So we'll do that. Why don't we start with what I love to do at the beginning of these is to talk about the early Nana growing up and all that. So take us back as close to the beginning as your memory allows. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 02:52 Oh gosh, as my memory allows. Um, I so I was born in Plattsburgh, New York, which is upstate near Montreal, Canada. Michael Hingson 03:06 Been there. Oh, cool in the winter. I even crossed the lake in an icebreaker. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 03:12 But yeah, oh my gosh, wow. Okay, yeah. Bring back memories. Well, I was only there for till I was, like two years old. So, but I do, I have gone up there in the winter and it is cold. Yes, it is cold, yeah. So I was born there, but I grew up in New York City and had that really was sort of my life. I lived in New York, grew up in Queens, New York, and then at 12 years old, my parents decided to send me to Ghana to go to school. And that was sort of like a big, the biggest change of my life, like I know that there was a before Ghana and an after Ghana, Nana and so, yeah, wow. Michael Hingson 04:02 So, so when was that? What year was that that you went to Ghana? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 04:06 That was 1990 August of 1990 actually. Michael Hingson 04:11 So what did you think about going to Ghana? I mean, clearly that was a major change. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 04:15 Yeah, you know, I, you know, my parents are from Ghana originally. So when, you know, they would always talk about it. We, you know, back then phones, long distance phone calls to Ghana. I, you know, that was, that was the extent of my sort of understanding of Ghana, the food that we ate at home, etc. So going to Ghana was just sort of mind blowing to me, to sort of be crossing, you know, getting on a plane and all of that, and then being in the country that my parents had left to come to the United States, was just sort of like, oh, wow, connecting with family members. It was just, it was a lot. To process, because life was very, very, very, very different. So yeah, it was just sort of a wild eye opening experience about just the world and myself and my family that ultimately inspired me to write a book about it, because it was just, I just, it was a lot to process. Michael Hingson 05:25 Why did they want you to go to to Ghana to study? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 05:30 Yeah, so in the 90s, in New York City or and in the late 80s, there was the crack epidemic was happening, and we, you know, I mean, I remember, we lived in a house in Queens, and when we would, you know, part of our chores was to sweep in front of the house, you know, rake the leaves, that kind of thing in the fall. And we would, all the time there would be crack files, you know, like as we're sweeping up, and I didn't get there where we were young. My sister was, you know, a teenager. I was 12, and my, you know, my younger brother had just been born. He was just like a, like, a little under a year old. And I think my parents just didn't feel that it was a safe place for us as kids to grow up. And so, yeah, they wanted to kind of give us an opportunity to get out of, you know, that environment for a while. Michael Hingson 06:33 What did you think of it? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 06:35 I mean, you know, as a kid, you never want to leave what to you. So it was, I would say it was, it was, it was interesting. Because initially I loved it. I was like, I actually campaigned, you know, I was like, I really, you know, would like to stay in Ghana, but I didn't want to stay for, you know, the three years, which is what I what happened? I wanted to stay for maybe, like a year, kind of try it, you know, go to school for a year. I found it this really cool adventure, go to boarding school and on all of that. But my parents made the decision that we should just sort of ride it out and finish like I had to finish high school. And, yeah, so, so great for me. Michael Hingson 07:25 So you were there for three years, yes. So by you were 12, so by 15, you had finished high Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 07:32 school, yeah, because the system there is different. It's it was at the time the British system. So it was like a form system where I saw I entered in form three, because it was, it wasn't quite the equivalent in the sense that I probably should have started in form two or form one, but I was also an advanced student, and and they, the way the system there works is you have to take a common entrance exam from primary school to get into secondary school. So it's very difficult to get into school midstream there. So we had to go through all of these hoops. And, you know, there was an opening in form three, and that was higher than my, you know, than where I should have been, but I was advanced, so I was able to get into that school that way. You did okay. I assume I did. I mean, I struggled, which was interesting, because I was a very, you know, good, strong student in the States, but I struggled mightily when I first got there, and throughout, it was never easy, but I was able to manage. Michael Hingson 08:49 Now, did your sister also go to Ghana? She Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 08:52 did, and she was hopping mad. Michael Hingson 08:55 How old was she when you were 12, she was Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 08:59 17, so she Okay, yeah, almost about to go to college. She was really excited about, like, that portion of life. And then it was like, okay, she's in Ghana. She was hopping mad. Michael Hingson 09:13 Well, how long did she stay? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 09:16 Well, so she stayed for two years. Because what Ghana has is sort of like, at the time it was something called sixth form, which is, again, the British system. So it's sort of like a college prep in between the equivalent of that. So she basically did that in Ghana. Michael Hingson 09:38 Okay, well, and your little brother didn't go to Ghana, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 09:44 not yet, not not yet. You Michael Hingson 09:47 mean they didn't send him over at one year? No, okay, well, that's probably a good idea. Well, so looking back on it, what do you think about having spent three years in. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 10:00 Ghana, looking back on it, I think it was actually really, really good for me. I mean, it was that doesn't take away from the fact that it was very difficult. It was very, very challenging, not only academically. It was I was bullied really hard at this boarding school that I went to. The girls just kind of made my life hell. But what was amazing about it for me was that I had, I had exposure to Ghanaian culture in a way that I would never have had in the States. As I mentioned to you, Ghana was sort of that country over there when I lived in America. And you know, it existed as you know, family members coming to visit, long distance phone calls, the food that we ate, that you know, the accents that we had, things that made us different, and at the time, that was not cool. You know, as a kid, you just want to fit in and you don't want to be different. And going to Ghana was my opportunity to learn that, wow, I didn't have to be embarrassed or ashamed of that difference. There was so much to be proud of. You know, my family was, you know, a sprawling family, you know, my my grandmother owned a business, my grandfather owned a business, you know, it was, it was really, it was eye opening, just to sort of be in another environment. People knew how to, you know, pronounce my name, and I didn't have to, you know, just explain things. And that was really affirming for a 12 year old and a 13 year old when you're going through that, you know. So it was really good for me. And in Ghana is where I came to know Christ. I became a Christian, and it was something that spiritually, I was not really, I don't know, I just didn't really think about spiritual. I did on some level. But going to Ghana, it everything just felt so palpable. It was really like we're praying for this. And it happened, you know what I mean, like, yeah. It felt very Yeah. It was just a time in my life when life really felt very the mysteries of life really felt like they were open to me, Michael Hingson 12:37 interesting and so you clearly gained a lot of insight and knowledge and experience over there that you were able to bring back with you when you came Yes, yes. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 12:55 When I returned to the States, I was just, I think of myself, I guess, as a weirdo. Like, when I came back, I just felt so weird because I couldn't really, fully, you know, connect with my friends, because I had missed out on three years of culture, you know. And you You don't realize how much culture means, like, until, like, you know, you don't have those references anymore. I didn't know the songs that were popular. I didn't, you know, know about, I forget, there was some sort of genes that were really popular while I was gone. I didn't know what they were. I didn't have a pair of them. So it was just sort of this, this interesting time. And I was also young, because I had finished high school, and I was 15, yeah, my friends were, you know, sophomores, yeah, you know, and I was beginning the process of looking into college. So it was just a really isolating time for me and I, but also, you know, interesting and I, again, I say it was, it was ultimately in the in the wash of it. I think it was good because it enabled me to sort of, I guess, mature in a way that enabled me to start college earlier. And, you know, sort of see the world in a much different way. Michael Hingson 14:26 So when you went to college, what did you want to do? Or had you had you decided to start laying plans for a major and what you wanted to do post college, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 14:36 I did not know what I wanted to do. I kind of, I mean, I kind of thought I wanted to be a doctor. I thought I wanted to be a doctor. Like, all my life, growing up, I was like, I'm going to be a doctor. And I was a science student in Ghana, but I struggled mightily. But still, I went. I entered college with us. You know, the plans? To become a bio psychology major. And you know, I took two, three classes, well more than that, I did, like, a year of classes. And I was just like, This is not for me, not for me at all. But yeah, yeah. So it was, it was that was a little rough. Michael Hingson 15:21 Things happen. So what did? What did you go off and do? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 15:25 Then I ended up majoring in political science and Africana Studies, and it was, I remember taking a political science class my freshman year, and I, my my professor was amazing, but it was, it was interesting to me. I think looking back now, being able to think about the world in a way that was sort of linking history and politics and culture together. And I think that was interesting to me, because I had just come from Ghana and had been exposed to, like, sort of this completely different culture, completely different political system, and, you know, kind of having that, I that thinking, or that wonderment of like, wow, you can Life can be so different somewhere else, but it's still life, and it's still happening, but also having that connection as an American to America and what's happening there. And so holding both of those things in my hands when I got to college, I think I was, I just what I was really sort of intrigued by the idea of studying politics and studying culture and society, Michael Hingson 16:48 and that's what you did. Yes, I did. So you got a degree in political science. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 16:54 Yes, a double degree political science and Africana Studies. Michael Hingson 16:57 Africana Studies, okay, and again, that that's probably pretty interesting, because the the Ghana influence had to help with the Africana Studies, and the desire to to do that, and you certainly came with a good amount of knowledge that had to help in getting that as a part of your major. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 17:16 Well, interestingly, my focus was on African American Studies, because I really growing up as an immigrant, like with immigrant parents, their understanding or their their thought process wasn't necessarily, I don't know they weren't. They didn't really raise us to think about race or being black, because their consciousness wasn't about that. It was they were immigrants. You know what? I mean, they weren't thinking about that. So I was actually quite curious, because I did grow up in America and I was black, but I didn't understand, you know, the history of America in that way. And I remember, actually, when I was in was it the third or maybe it was the second or third grade, or maybe it was fifth grade. I did a project on the Civil War, and I remember being so interested in it, because I had, I just didn't, you know, it wasn't. I was so fascinated by American history because I really wasn't. I didn't, I didn't understand it in the way that maybe somebody who wasn't the child of immigrants, you know, might, you know, connect with it. So I was just Yeah, so I was really fascinated by African American history, so I ended up double majoring in it and concentrating on African American politics, which was really fascinating to me. Michael Hingson 18:55 Yeah, and there certainly has been a fair amount of that over the years, hasn't there? Yes, there has, but you can, you can cope with it and and again. But did your time in Ghana, kind of influence any of what you did in terms of African American Studies? Did it help you at all? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 19:15 Um, I, I don't know, because I don't because, because I think what, what I what, what Ghana helped me with was, I remember, I'll say this. I remember one time in Ghana, in class, we were reading a book by an author who had we were reading a play, actually by a Ghanaian writer who was writing about a Ghanian man who married an African American woman and brought her to his home. And there was a lot of clash between them, because, you know, they were both black, but they had different sort of backgrounds. Yeah, and I remember the teacher asking, because the. The the wife that he brought home, the African American woman, mentioned certain things about America, and no one in the classroom could answer any questions about America, and I was the only one who could. And I was, you know, very, very sort of shy in that in that school and in that context. But I remember that day feeling so emboldened, like I was, like, I can actually contribute to this conversation. And so maybe, you know, in on some level, when I got back to the states, maybe there was some interest in linking those two things together. But it wasn't as as is in life. It wasn't obvious to me. Then it was sort of just kind of me following my interest and curiosity. And I ended up, I didn't set out to be an Africana Studies double major, but I ended up taking so many classes that I had the credits. And, you know, I was like, Okay, I guess I'm I have two degrees now, or two, two concentrations, Michael Hingson 21:02 yeah, did you go and do any advanced work beyond getting bachelor's degrees? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 21:08 No, I did not. When I graduated, I initially thought I might get interested, get in, go to law school. But this was me again, following my muse. I realized that my real interest was in writing papers when I was in college. You know, give me a 15 page paper, 20 page paper, I was ecstatic. I loved writing papers. And I think that's one of the reasons, too, why I loved political science and Africana Studies, because we were assigned tons of papers, and it enabled me to sort of, you know, writing these papers enabled me to kind of think through questions that I had, or process what I was reading or thinking about or feeling. And so when I graduated from college, you know, I got, you know, a job, and was working, trying to figure out, Okay, do I want to go to law school? But at the time that I graduated, that was also during the time of, like, the.com boom, and there were a lot of online magazines that were looking for writers, and so I started, kind of, you know, submitting, and I got some some things published. And as that was happening, I was like, I think this is what I want to focus on. Michael Hingson 22:30 So when did you really know that you were a writer? Then? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 22:34 I mean, I don't I think that when I got back, when I started working, so I, ultimately, I got a job in advertising, and I was working, you know, as an assistant in the on the account side of things, but there was this whole creative department that, you know, got to, you know, come up with all of the, you know, the the taglines and write commercials and write jingles and all that kind of stuff. And I was, like, so fascinated by that, and that's what I thought, okay, I could if you know, I need a job, I need money, and I want to write, so maybe this is what I need to be doing. And so I ultimately did get a job as a copywriter and and I still, you know, do that work today, but I think I always knew that I needed to write, and I wanted to actually write about my experience in Ghana. So I remember, you know, I started kind of very fledgling. Would began to write into that, and I ultimately started writing that the book that became my first book, powder necklace, on the subway to and from work. Every morning I would wake up very early, write what I could get ready for work, right on the bus, right on the subway, you know, get to work after work. You know, repeat. And it took me many years, but that's what I did. And I wrote my first book, Michael Hingson 24:14 and that was published in 2010 right? Yes, it was, did you self publish? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 24:18 Or I well, I did not self publish. I was published by Simon and Schuster. Simon and Schuster's Atria Books, Washington Square press. And part of my process was I started just kind of, you know, the Internet. The Internet was new. It was something that was available to me. So I started just kind of Googling, how do you get published? And they said you needed a literary agent. So I started looking online for literary agents. And because I lived in New York City at the time, I would literally write my my query letters and like, hand deliver them different agencies. 90s, and one woman, after four years of looking, said, Okay, this sounds interesting. I'd love to meet with you. And I didn't believe. I was like, wow, I've been rejected for four years, and somebody actually wants this, and she was able to sell the book. And I was shocked. I was like, Simon and sister, okay? And at the time they bought it, the, you know, the America, the US, was going through the whole financial, you know, crisis, the recession, in 2008 so they held my book for a year, and then we began the process in 2009 and then they, you know, we were on track to publish it in 2010 Michael Hingson 25:46 Wow. Well, tell me about that book. Yeah. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 25:51 Powder necklace is a novel. It's a fictionalized account of my experience going to high school in Ghana. I when I went to school in Ghana. I went to a girls boarding school in the mountains of Ghana central region, and that school was going through a major water crisis. We did not, I mean, we the short story is that, I guess, because of we were on the mountain, the water pressure was very low, and so it was really difficult to get the water up that mountain. And they didn't have like enough, you know, tanks around the school and what have you. So we had one artificial well, and then we had, like, an underground well, and that was it. And the underground well wasn't always, you know, full of water to service the whole school. It was really difficult. So, you know, we had to bring in our own water, some. And then it became, if you had money, you could bring water. But if you didn't have money, you didn't and it was a very desperate time for for young girls without being not being able to take a shower on demand. And it was, it was wild. Michael Hingson 27:15 Where does the title powder necklace come from? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 27:19 So the title, I named it powder necklace, because, as I mentioned, taking a shower became this like symbol of the haves and the have nots. And, you know, all of this having water, really. And if so, what, what the girls, what we would do is, you know, after you've taken a bath, people would put tons of powder on their necks. And it was sometimes it was okay we didn't take a bath, so we're going to put powder on our necks to scented powder to cover the odor. But it was also a way, like if you had bathed, to sort of, you know, show off that you'd bathed. So for me, it was as I was reflecting on the on this as I was writing this story and reflecting on that whole experience, I thought, wow, it was sort of our way of holding our heads up, you know, in the difficult situation, and kind of making the best of it. So that's why I called it powder necklace, Michael Hingson 28:17 okay? And that was for children. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 28:20 Well, it was for young adults, young adults, but Michael Hingson 28:25 it was more writing than pictures. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 28:27 Yeah, it was a young adult novel. I actually, I mean, this was my first book. I really didn't know what I was doing. I just, I wrote the book and I didn't know that it was a young adult novel, until people were like, Yeah, you wrote a young adult novel. I'm like, okay, Michael Hingson 28:47 works for me. Well, what does, what does being a writer mean to you? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 28:54 Um, I think being a writer means to me being able to articulate. A time, a place, a mood, a moment, being able to articulate it, one for myself, but also to create a record that helps people who don't necessarily have that gift to be able to sort of put words to the experience of living at a time place, having a certain feeling about something. Michael Hingson 29:34 Do you think there's a difference between being considered a writer and being an author, are they the same, or are they really different? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 29:45 I do think that there is a difference, and not in a sort of, you know, highfalutin way. I think the difference is the fact that when you I think, like, when you asked me initially, like, when do you think that you you became. Became a writer. My My instinct is to say that I think I was always a writer, because I think if you write, you're a writer. And whether you're published or not, you're a writer. If you have that inclination, that gift, and you sort of invest in that gift, and invest and develop it. I think you're a writer, but I think with an author, I think then that's to me. I think of it as the business of being a writer, or the business of being, yeah, you are now sort of in business with your publisher. Publisher has invested a certain amount in you, and it then becomes a more sort of public facing thing. The work is not just for you anymore. The work is now being disseminated to a group and hopefully to as many people as possible, and you as the writer now have to figure out, like, how do I get to my audience? How do I maximize or expand the reach of this thing that I wrote? How do I connect with people around the story and build build a readership. And how do I ultimately, you know, the my desire and goal would be to live off of this. How do I make turn this into something that I can, I can do, you know, full time and live off of Michael Hingson 31:38 so you turn from a writer to being an author. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 31:42 I'm, yes, I am an author, and I'm and I'm hoping to get to the to the, you know, the point where I can do it 100% full time, and it be, you know, 100% lucrative in that way. Michael Hingson 31:56 So what are you doing now? In addition to doing books, I Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 32:01 also freelance as a copywriter, so I'm still copywriting, Michael Hingson 32:05 okay, I was wondering what you what you did? So you're doing, still marketing and jingles and all those things, yeah, well, I Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 32:13 I'm my focus. I do do that, but my focus is mainly in the digital space. So I write lots of websites and web ads and social media copy, and, you know, things of that nature, campaign work. Michael Hingson 32:33 Well, that's, is there anything that you've written or copy written that we would all know, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 32:42 yeah, I mean, I did. I've done a lot. I guess the maybe the most recent thing that I've done that people might be aware of, or some people might be aware of, is the Brooklyn Museum in New York, did a an exhibition called Africa fashion. And I, they created a short film to promote it, and I, they commissioned me to write an original piece for it. And so I wrote that piece and and performed it in the film. So, you know, people who are into that kind of thing a museum, that that museum might be aware of it. But I've also written for, I did a lot of work for L'Oreal Paris, USA, and I've just done a lot of beauty work. So many of the beauty brands you might be aware, you know, you might know, I've done some work for them, cool. Michael Hingson 33:45 Well, that, you know, you do have to do things to earn an income to to be able to afford to write until you can do it full time. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 33:53 Yeah, yeah. And I actually really love copywriting. I think it's an it's been an incredible teacher in the sense of how to how to crystallize an idea in very short, you know, in just a few words, how to convey emotion in just a few words. And also that storytelling is not just the words, it's how you deliver the story that's all part of it. So I think it's been an incredible teacher in that way. Michael Hingson 34:28 I know for me as a speaker, it is how you tell the story. And I've learned over 23 and a half years of speaking how to take people inside the World Trade Center and actually have them travel with me and do all the things that, and experience all the things that that I went through, and then come out of the other side and I and I say that because so many people after I speak somewhere, well. Come up and say, we were with you in the building. We were with you with everything that you did. And I appreciate that there is a real significant art to storytelling, and part of it is also, and I'm sure that this is true for you as a writer and an author, that part of it has to be that you have to actually connect with the audience. You've got to understand the audience. You've got to connect with them, and you have to bring them along, because they're not expecting to go with you. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 35:33 Absolutely, absolutely. And I will say that I started one of your books just the beginning of it, and I was just running with Roselle, and I was so taken, so absorbed by the first few pages of it. You really do immerse us. And I think that that's the best kind of of writing. You know, when you're able to kind of present material that people may or may not be familiar with, and make it riveting and really bring us into it, and then have us invest being, feel invested well. Michael Hingson 36:16 And I think the last book that we did last year live like a guide dog. I worked really hard to make sure that we were drawing people into the experiences, because every chapter is actually taking lessons from one of my guide dogs and also from Fantasia, which who is my wife's service dog, but each chapter relates to one of those dogs, and I wanted them to be environments where people again were drawn in and appreciate the dogs for what they are and what they do, not just some dumb Animal that comes along. Yeah. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 37:00 Yeah, absolutely. I mean, yeah, so interesting. I think there's, there's so much, I guess. I don't want to use the word, I guess what I want to say, there's a lot of mystery in in the sort of human animal interaction, and people just aren't aware of how powerful it is, and I can, I'm saying that I speak for myself, because growing up, actually, I was really, really scared of dogs and animals, all animals, and I so there's, there's two, there's kind of two stories I'll share. But one is when we were, when we were growing up, my parents, you know, were from Ghana. They wanted to eat goat meat. And at the time, you couldn't just go to a supermarket goat meat. So we used to go to a farm out in New Jersey that had goats, and we would have to go and have the goat, you know, slaughtered and, you know, cut up and all that kind of stuff for the meat. And I remember that whenever the hand would go into, you know, the pen where the goats were, the goats would just were. They would be so stressed out, they would like, you know, part like the ocean walked in, and if he picked, when he picked one out. There would be other people, other goats in the pen that would start screaming in agony, along with the goat that had been picked out. And I was just like, Oh my gosh. That must be his family members, like, or his loved ones. And it was so I remember that was so eye opening to me, like, wow. So I ended up years, years later, I wrote a short story, and I actually did some research on goats and how brilliant they are, and I was just like, wow, oh my goodness, I remember that so well. But I have a cat right now, and my kitty cat is just such a such a joy, like just sort of to build that relationship with, with my with my pet, is just such a beautiful thing, and how she just kind of, because I grew up really scared of pets, and I sort of inherited her when I got when I got married, you know, she's been very patient with me, like, because at first I was so skittish around her, and I could see her, kind of like rolling her eyes, like, I mean, you no harm. You can pick me up. It's all good. And she's just been so wonderfully patient with me. We've built that bond over time. Michael Hingson 39:31 Well, yeah, I have, of course, my my eighth guy, dog, Alamo, and stitch the cat. Stitch is 15 and a half and a real cutie pie. We rescued her. Actually, there were people who were living next to us, and he was moving out. His wife had died, and he just told the people who were moving all of his stuff out, take the cat to the pound. I don't want anything to do with it. And we, we said, Absolutely not. We'll find it a home. And then I asked, What the. Cat's name was, and they told me the cat's name was stitch. And I knew that this cat wasn't going to go anywhere because my wife had been, well, my wife had been a quilter since 1994 and a quilter is never going to give away a cat named stitch. Yes. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 40:14 Oh, I'm so glad stitch found a home with you. Michael Hingson 40:18 Oh, yeah. Well, we found a stitch. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 40:20 Oh, that's right, that's right. Michael Hingson 40:23 And, and, and so she's, she's got lots of personality. And so it really works out pretty well. No, no complaints. And I've always said, Whenever I get a guide dog, because my wife has always had cats, when I get a new guide dog, I've always said, and will continue to say, it has to be a dog that's been raised around cats and has no problems with cats. I have seen a couple of Guide Dogs, actually, that hated cats, and one almost killed a cat, and that's I will never tolerate that. Yeah, they have to get along. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely now, when we brought Alamo home, stitch had a few concerns about this dog in her house. She got over it when she decided that Alamo wasn't going to do anything to bother her and they they talk all the time now and rub noses and all that sort of stuff. Oh, that's so cool, yeah, but, but it's, it is great, and they, they bring so much joy and so many lessons to us that I think it was really important to learn. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 41:34 Yeah, yeah. You're reminding me the first dog, because my grandmother actually loves animals, and when I went to Ghana, she got a dog, and, you know, as a kid, so we got a puppy. And I remember the puppy was initially supposed to be a guard dog, but we I, I would feed the I would hand feed the dog sausages and just spoil the dog so much. Could not be a guard dog, so I loved that dog. Joshua, yeah, Joshua, Michael Hingson 42:07 well, but you and Joshua got along really well. On we got along great. One of the things that people sometimes ask me is if my dog trained to protect and the answer is no, they're not trained, and then they've said, Well, what would happen if somebody were to decide to attack you with the dog around? And my response will always be and rightly so, I wouldn't want to be the person to try that and find out what will happen, because much more than guarding, there's love. And I've always believed that dogs love unconditionally. I think trusting is a different story. They are open to trust, but, but you have to earn their trust. They'll love you, but will they trust you? That depends on you. And so it's it's really pretty cool, but I would not want to be the person to ever decide to try to attack us, because I, I am sure that Alamo would not tolerate that at all. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 43:10 Oh, not at all. How do, how do you or how have you built trust with your your pets? Michael Hingson 43:17 Well, a lot of it has to do with they want us to be the pack leaders. They want us to be their team leader. And so I have to set the ground rules. So, for example, no jumping on the furniture and all that. But again, it's also how you convey that. So if my dog is going to jump up on something and I don't want that, I'll say, leave it. And as soon as the dog obeys, I'll give the dog a food reward, a kibble, to let the dog know, and I'll also use a clicker, but I'll let the dog know I approve of what you did, not punishing them for, you know, something else. Yeah, so it's not punishment, it's positive rewards. I think that's extremely important, but also it is in the stressful times being very focused and calm. So if we're walking somewhere and we get lost, that is not the dog's fault, because it's my job to know where to go and how to get where I'm going, and it's the dog's job to make sure that we walk safely to get there, so if we get lost, that's on me. And what I can't do, or shouldn't do, is panic and become very fearful and upset, because the dog will sense that I have to stop and figure it out and continue to praise the dog, saying what a good job you're doing, and so on. And those kinds of things are the things that will, over time, build that trust. I think it takes a good year to truly build a trusting relationship that is second. To none. And that's the kind of teaming relationship that you want, whether it's a guide dog or any dog. And even as far as that goes, although they're different cats, yeah, but it's, it's all about building that relationship and conveying the command and conveying that you want to trust and be trusted? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 45:24 Yeah, yeah. I think you're you. What you said that really resonated with me is that they want to know. They want you to be the pack leader and the and part of that is, you know, you lay down the ground rules, but also you're responsible for them and their well being. And, yeah, that really, that really resonated with me. Michael Hingson 45:48 Well, so you wrote your first book, and then when did you write your second book? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 45:55 My second book came out in 2022, so it was a 12 year spread in my first book and my second book, Why so long? Oh my gosh, my book, I was the book I was working on, like to sort of follow, was just rejected for, for all that whole time, and I was, you know, in more and more distraught, and, you know, in despair about it. I didn't know what to do about it. And I actually, you know, I was actually reading the Bible, and I came across the fact that there was a curtain, a blue curtain, in King Solomon's temple. And I was like, why does it matter that the curtain was blue? And so I just started googling casually, and I discovered that there was a snail in antiquity that was harvested for the blue drops that it it secreted, or it secreted drops that were ultimately oxidized to turn blue. And I was like, what I've never heard about this? I started doing some more research, and I realized, like, oh my gosh, the color blue has such a fascinating history. Kids need to know about this. And so I wrote it really as a poem initially, but then I thought, you know, I really want to see if I can get this published. And I was able to get it published, and that became my children's book blue, which was such a bomb to my soul, because after sort of a decade of getting, you know, rejected, and, you know, close to a decade of getting rejected, this, this sort of beautiful, like, sort of knowledge, you know, I came across, But I was able to create a book, and it's just been a wonderful experience with the children's Michael Hingson 47:45 book, wow, so the full title of blue is, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 47:51 it's blue a history of the color as deep as the sea and as wide as the sky. Wow. Michael Hingson 47:57 That should be enough to get the book sold. But as you point out, there's, there's a lot of history, yes, and that, that's pretty cool. So it was, it was released in 2022 and they finally, the publishers finally bought into that, huh? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 48:16 Well, yeah, I mean, that wasn't the novel that I've been working on. So I was still working. I ultimately, I did sell the novel, but that was its own journey, and I ended up writing another book that became the book is called my parents marriage, and it is not about my actual parents marriage. It's a novel about a young woman for adult readers. It's my first book for adult readers, and it is about a young woman whose parents are in a polygamous union, and how they're they have a really turbulent polygamous union, and how that relationship kind of kind of cast a shadow on this woman's, you know, choices in relationships and marriage for herself. Michael Hingson 49:10 So you you publish that my parents marriage. You also did a collection relations. Tell me about relationships. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 49:18 I did. Yeah, so relations is an anthology of its stories, essays and poems that are by writers from all across the continent of Africa. So I have Egyptian poets and Libyan you know essayists and you know, Nigerian storytellers, just it was, it was a really amazing project to work on. I started working on it during August of 2020, which was sort of like I've heard it described as peak pandemic, right? You know, we were several months. Into lockdown, and you know, it became this wonderful way for me to kind of connect while I was sort of holed up in my apartment in New York. Michael Hingson 50:15 Okay, now, were you married by then? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 50:18 No, I was not. I had just started dating my now husband, and I was like, Am I ever gonna see this man again? Because he lived in California, so at that time, the planes were grounded. I remember we were, like, on the first, very first flights that were able to start, you know, that started and be on planes, there'd be like, four people on the entire plane. Michael Hingson 50:42 Yeah, hopefully you both weren't on planes going against each other at the same time. No, you did communicate a little more than that. Oh, good. Well, so you published. So when was well? What was relations published? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 51:02 Relations came out in 2023 okay, February of 2023, and my parents marriage came out in July of 2024. Just came out in July of 2025, Michael Hingson 51:14 which one the paperback of the paperback? Oh, okay. Have any of them been converted to audio Yes, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 51:23 all, but my first book, are audio books. So blue is an audio book, beautifully read, and then their relations, the stories and essays and poems are read by two speaking artists, and then my parents, marriage is is also wonderfully performed. So, yeah, they're all an audience. Michael Hingson 51:50 That's cool, yeah. So when you're writing, what, what's kind of the difference, or, how do you differentiate between writing for young people and writing for adults. There must be differences. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 52:07 Yeah, I think, I think with for young people, and the practical thing that I try to do is make sure that the vocabulary is are is familiar to them, mostly familiar. I like to put in a stretch word now and then to kind of get them to, like, get to the dictionary and find out what. But if I'm right, when I when I wrote blue, for example, knowing that, you know, the the age group is, the age spread is four to 888, year olds are in third grade. Four year olds are in pre K, so that's that's pretty big spread. So my sweet spot is first and second grade vocabulary words. Okay, it has to be something that they've been exposed to. So thinking of it in that way, the other thing too is breaking down concepts that are, you know, as adults, you know, we just assume that you know, or you can go look it up, but just kind of thinking it through. So if I'm talking about, instead of saying that, you know, there was a snail in antiquity who, you know, heart, you know, dyers were harvesting blue dye from these snails through after a process of oxidation. I wouldn't use any of those words. I would say, snail produced some drops that when exposed to the air and the sun turned blue. And so just sort of really, kind of being mindful of that, and also thinking very visually, writing, very visually. How can I create pictures with words that would be familiar to a child, that can sort of ignite their imagination? Michael Hingson 53:53 Yeah, I think it's extremely important to to deal with the visual aspects of it, but using words and really drawing again, drawing people in because if you just say, well, you can see this in this picture. That doesn't mean a lot, and you're also, I would think, helping to teach or create the concept that some people might some children might want to go off and write because they like how you say and what you say Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 54:24 absolutely and when I when I talk to kids, I go or visit schools, I invite them like I wrote about the color blue. What's your favorite color? These are some some things that I did to kind of learn about it. You can do these things to learn about your favorite color and write your own book? Michael Hingson 54:42 Yeah, yeah, it's, I think, so important to really draw people in and get them to think. And I think it's so much fun for me, I do some of that, but I have probably more of a chance. Challenge, because kids want to play with the dog. Yeah, it's all about the dog. I did a lecture at a K through six elementary school in San Francisco several years ago. I'm trying to remember what school it was anyway, and the teacher said you can only talk for about 10 or 12 minutes, because they just won't pay attention any longer than that. 35 minutes later, I finally ended the discussion, because they were so fascinated to hear me talk about what my dog did. And then I carried that over to how blind people work and function and all that. And the fact is, they were fascinated. The teachers couldn't believe it, but for me, it was a great lesson to know that it's all about creating these pictures that people can follow, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 55:53 yeah, and also to extending those pictures or those words into an experience for kids. Yeah, they really, they really appreciate, sort of like seeing it, kind of, you know, see if the having the concept come to life, yeah, way. And so I'm sure when they see your dog, or are able to interact with your dog, that must be so wonderful for them, Michael Hingson 56:22 but it's important for them to understand what the dog is all about. So by the time they get to interact with the dog, we've talked about things like, you never pet a guide dog in harness. This is what a guide dog does, and this is what they don't do. There are a lot of things to to cover. So it's great when I have the opportunity to really teach them. And sometimes we'll walk around a classroom and I'll show them what he does. Yeah, it's important to be able to do that. Oh, I love that. I love that. And he loves it, of course, all the way. So no question about that. He's you haven't lived until you've seen two or 300 kids all wanting to pet this dog. And the dog knows what to do. He's down on the floor with every appendage stretched out as far as he can go to maximize petting places, petting. Oh, it is so funny. I love that. He loves it. He's, he's, he's so happy. He doesn't care whether he'll do it more with kids even than adults, but, yeah, he'll do it with everybody. It's all about petting me and just remembering I'm the dog. I love that. Well, you've gone through a fair amount of time between books, and I'm sort of curious, what do you think about all the various kinds of changes and ebbs and flows that have come along in the book business, in the book publishing business and so on. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 57:56 Yeah, there have been a lot of changes. Um, I think, um, when my first book came out, like things like, you know, Instagram Bookstagram did not exist. There weren't many sort of podcasts or things of that nature. So I think that there is, there's definitely, there are more venues and more platforms to, you know, get the message out about the book. But I think also there is, it's also just hard. It's in some ways, it also feels in some ways more challenging to get the word out, because in addition to, like, yes, there are more venues in that way, regard, there are fewer book reviewers and fewer places to get a book reviewed, and there's a whole kind of interesting business about around getting reviews. So it's just not the same in that way. But then at the same time. I think what remains the same is connecting with readers. I think the most effective thing is, you know, writing a book that's good and then getting people who have read it and liked it to evangelize, to tell people I liked it, please buy it, or you should have you heard of and because at the end of the day, you know, that's what's going to, you know, give it some wind Michael Hingson 59:30 when thunder dog came out, and we did mention about reviews, and it actually has had, like well over 1600 reviews since it came out in 2011 live like a guide dog hasn't had, of course, so many yet, but every time I get a chance to talk about that book, I ask people to go review it and tell them why it's so important, because potential readers want to know what people think of the book. Yeah, for sure. For sure, it's. It really is important for readers to review and just be honest and say what you think. It's fine, but people should do that. For me, I think one of the biggest things that I see that publishers are doing less of is in a lot of ways, true marketing. You don't, you know, you don't see them doing nearly as much. Of course, I know it's more expensive, but to help create book tours or anything like that, they focus only on social media, and that's not the way to market the book. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 1:00:33 Yeah, I think, I mean, I've never worked inside a publishing office, so I don't know what actually, how they make these decisions and what goes on, but I do. I think what I have come to sort of think, how I've come to think of it, is the publisher is my business partner, sort of invested in terms of, they've given me an advance. They're going to do the turn key things like, you know, make sure the book gets reviewed by Publishers Weekly, or, sorry, Publishers Marketplace, or no Publishers Weekly. I was correct, and Kirkus review, Kirkus right, and all those kinds of things. And maybe they'll do a mailing to you know who they believe are the people that they need to mail it to. But outside of that, unless you know you, you know it's stipulated in your contract, or you know you are that high, yeah, you know that that celebrity author, or that that best selling author that they you know, are willing to put that money behind. You're working with some your publicist, who's been assigned to your book has is probably working on 10 other books. Can devote so much to it. And so what I've learned is thankful. I'm thankful that, you know, I have this publisher, but I also know that I need to do a lot of work on my own to get Michael Hingson 1:02:04 you've got to be your best marketer, yes, but, but there's value in that too, because you can tell the story whatever it is, like no one else, exactly, exactly. And so that's that's really pretty important, yeah, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 1:02:18 for sure, for sure. And you can be, you know that I think, also giving yourself permission to be creative, yeah, you know, how can you get the word out in really creative ways, like, again, the publisher. These are things that like, if there was, you know, people, there were many people dedicated to your book for this amount of time, they could kind of sit there and brainstorm and do all those things. But, you know, the reality is, in most cases, it's a small it's a lean and mean team. They don't have that bandwidth, so yeah, just kind of coming up with creative ways. And at times, what I have learned to do is, how can I, if I have an idea that is maybe low cost and but I can't necessarily do it on my own? How can I ask them for support, because they do have, you know, a little bit more resources, Michael Hingson 1:03:16 yeah, and, and the how is really pretty simple. Actually, you just ask exactly, exactly, and you know either they will or they won't, or you'll share it, or whatever. And I have found that same thing to be true. Well, Nana, if people want to reach out to you, how do they do that? If they might want to talk about you doing copywriting for them or whatever, how can people find you? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 1:03:41 So my website is Nana brew-hammond.com, can you spell please? It's n, a n, a, b, r, e, w, H, A, M, M, O, N, d.com, and I have a newsletter there. So a newsletter sign up. So they can sign up to be a part of my newsletter and connect with me that way. They can also find me on Instagram, I'm at n, a, n, a, e, K, U, a writer on Instagram, and I'm also on Facebook at that same name, and then on Twitter, I am that without the writer. So, n, a, n, a, e, K, U, a, Michael Hingson 1:04:28 okay, cool. Well, I hope people will reach out and and I hope that they will read your books and like them and review them. I hope the same thing. Well, I want to thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching us today. We really appreciate you being here with us. I'd love to hear what you think. Please feel free to email me. I'm reachable at Michael H, I m, I C, H, A, E, L, H i at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I. B, e.com, Michael H i@accessibe.com love to hear your thoughts and love to get your your opinions. I would really appreciate it if you would give us a five star rating when you have the opportunity to review this podcast. We really value your ratings and reviews very highly, and definitely want to know what you think, but please give us a great rating. We love that. If you know anyone who wants to be a guest on a podcast, or you think ought to be a guest, we're always looking for guests. And Nana you as well. If you know anyone, we're always looking for more people to come on the podcast and tell their stories. So we appreciate it. If you'd let us know. By the way, you can also go to my podcast page, www dot Michael hingson, M, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s o n.com/podcast, that's another way to reach out to me as well. But definitely anything you can do to bring more folks to us, we value it very highly. And so with that, once again, Nana, I want to thank you for being here. This has been great. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond 1:06:01 Thank you so much. I really appreciate you having me on, and you are such an inspiration. And thank you. Michael Hingson 1:06:13 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.
Choosing to send her kids to an inner-city failing school, choosing to leave her Western comforts for the carnage and danger of post-war Liberia, choosing to stay on in Ghana after her husband died… Renita has made a succession of bold faith-filled choices throughout her life, and God has used her to launch a movement of empowered businessfolk across twenty-five nations (and counting). She is the founder and president at Discipling Marketplace Leaders, and what she shares is absolute gold.▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7gsKLDPWTEMCheck out disciplingmarketplaceleaders.org and I'd love it if this podcast led to people wanting to support her stunning and transformational work.---Support our work: greatlakesoutreach.org/inspired
Episode 146 - We're joined by homeopath, educator and author Richard Pitt, whose decades of global work span Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Eswatini - places where homeopathy isn't just a choice, but often the only accessible form of care. Disclaimer: Please note that all information and content on the UK Health Radio Network, all its radio broadcasts and podcasts are provided by the authors, producers, presenters and companies themselves and is only intended as additional information to your general knowledge. As a service to our listeners/readers our programs/content are for general information and entertainment only. The UK Health Radio Network does not recommend, endorse, or object to the views, products or topics expressed or discussed by show hosts or their guests, authors and interviewees. We suggest you always consult with your own professional – personal, medical, financial or legal advisor. So please do not delay or disregard any professional – personal, medical, financial or legal advice received due to something you have heard or read on the UK Health Radio Network.
Flo Lloyd-Hughes is joined by Jessy Parker Humphreys and Becky Taylor-Gill to chat through the final international games of the year, including England's 2-0 win over Ghana. We then dive into our listener mailbag as we chat through some of your football questions and silly requests. Host: Flo Lloyd-Hughes Guests: Jessy Parker Humphreys & Becky Taylor-Gill Producers: Flo Lloyd-Hughes & Katie Baxter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode, we speak with Kate Porterfield (MPH '22), an NYU double-graduate in Global Liberal Studies and Environmental Public Health Sciences, who has navigated a unique career from teaching fifth grade to leading international research. Kate shares powerful stories from her work with Pure Earth, including an investigation into lead poisoning in Ghana, where she details the toxic reality of the Agbogbloshie e-waste dumping ground. This experience, she explains, was the pivotal moment that drove her from desk research to pursuing a Master's of Social Work in clinical practice. She argues that Public Health and Social Work are deeply intertwined. The conversation closes on her core philosophy: that education can be used as a tool for public health by teaching the foundational skill of empathy to achieve meaningful behavioral change. This perspective ensures that every person is seen not as a statistic, but as an individual that matters. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit http://www.publichealth.nyu.edu.
Alma Ohene-Opare grew up in Ghana during military coups, famine, and dictatorship. He watched his mother build schools and a university from nothing. He lost five dogs to DDT poisoning at age 6. He made a pinhole camera because a physics book told him to — and then realized he could never develop the film because the resources simply didn't exist.That moment broke something in him… and lit a fire that burned until he finally touched American soil.In this nearly 3-hour conversation, Alma explains:- Why America is the only place on earth where you can wake up with an idea and have a working prototype by sundown - Why socialism always contains “a teaspoon of dog poop” no matter how good it smells - Why true justice can only come from God, not government - How his mother educated over 10,000 kids with the motto: “We train leaders, others train the rest” - The day he took the oath of citizenship and finally put his hand over his heart during the national anthem after 18 years of waiting - Standing at the exact spot where Charlie Kirk was assassinated and what it means for all of usThis is not political talking points. This is raw gratitude from a man who knows exactly what the alternative looks like.If you've ever taken your American privilege for granted — watch this. If you have kids who think the American Dream is dead — make them watch this. If you're tired of the noise and just want to hear truth spoken with love — this episode is for you.Alma's book: “A Vision of Greatness: An Immigrant's Unyielding Pursuit of the American Dream” – Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DDF5BLJ4/?bestFormat=true&k=my%20american%20privilege%20book&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k0_1_22_de&crid=MQRO7V0MRYS4&sprefix=my%20american%20privilage%20Connect With Alma! Youtube: www.youtube.com/@UC-JXKDg4ow2-ND0nFYj_pYw TikTok, IG, Facebook: @willfulpositivityConnect With Micah!Youtube: www.youtube.com/@UCbDRG3_xrVcBHEGnr_0psyw IG: @micahgoodman @americas.podcastsTimestamps:00:00 – Intro & How We Met 04:30 – Born in Ghana Right After Famine & Military Coups 15:45 – The Legend of Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings 28:10 – Growing Up With 7 Dogs, Ducks, Sheep & Massive Responsibility 37:00 – The Day 5 of His Dogs Died (age 6) 44:20 – His Mother's Insane Legacy (Built a University From Nothing) 53:30 – Teaching Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah in 6th Grade → Drafted #5 Overall by Detroit Lions 1:03:00 – The Photo That Changed His Life Forever (Dad Touching a Dolphin) 1:12:00 – The Pinhole Camera That Broke His Heart 1:23:00 – Why America Freed Him From “Mental Slavery” 1:35:00 – Socialism = A Teaspoon of Dog Poop in Your Favorite Meal 1:52:00 – Why It's Impossible to Be Christian and Socialist 2:10:00 – Becoming a U.S. Citizen After 18 Years 2:25:00 – Standing at the Spot Where Charlie Kirk Was Assassinated 2:40:00 – Final Message to Young AmericansIf this moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it.
Faye Carruthers is joined by Emily Keogh and Ayisha Gulati to review England's wins over China and Ghana. Plus, Suzy Wrack joins Faye to speak to the new Newcastle head coach, Tanya Oxtoby, about her return to club management.
Subscribe to hear the latest episode of Global Treasures, which covers the Asante Traditional Buildings in Ghana. Abigail covers the history and travel tips for visiting this UNESCO world heritage site, added to the list in 1980. Support our Sponsors and Affiliates at no extra cost to you and help make planning your trip easier: Hardshell Luggage: https://amzn.to/3FHDWZ0 Trip.com: https://trip.tpk.mx/WpLWHHxb AirHelp (Helps you get refunds for cancelled or delayed flights): https://airhelp.tp.st/jfs3ZFOO Barvita (Code ABIGAILVACCA gets you 15% off your first order): https://barvita.co/?ref=ABIGAILVACCA Follow Global Treasures on Social Media and check out my blog: Blog: Globaltreasurestravel.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?tid=100093258132336 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@globaltreasurespodcast
Ghana ist der führende Goldproduzent Afrikas. Das westafrikanische Land exportiert den kostbaren Rohstoff in alle Welt – auch in die Schweiz. Doch der Abbau von Gold ist komplex, schwer kontrollierbar – und manchmal auch illegal. In Ghanas Goldregion rund um die Stadt Tarkwa liegen Welten zwischen den internationalen Industrieminen und den Goldschürfern, die illegal und oft mit einfachsten Mitteln nach dem kostbaren Rohstoff suchen. «Es ist gefährlich und schwierig, da hinunterzusteigen», erklärt ein Kleinmineur, der ohne Bewilligung arbeitet. «Aber es ist einer der einfachsten Wege, zu Geld zu kommen». Zwei Welten: Hier die gut bewachten Hightech-Minen, mit modernsten Maschinen, zertifiziertem Gold und ausgefeilter Logistik. Dort die schmutzigen, einfachen und illegalen Kleinminen. Und doch vermischen sich diese beiden Welten öfter als offiziell zugegeben wird. Denn dort, wo illegal abgebaut wird, und wo der Schürfabfall zu scheinbar wertlosen Haufen aufgeschüttet wird, liegt nicht nur Erde. Sondern sehr viel Geld. Und ein ganzer Graubereich des globalen Goldhandels.
Plant health is quietly shaping what we eat, the diseases we face and how our ecosystems function. But if you look at most One Health discussions, plants barely feature.In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we unpack why that gap exists, why it matters, and what happens when plant health and One Health finally come together.Reporter Justice Baidoo speaks with Solveig Danielsen, a plant health systems expert at the agricultural research organisation CABI (the parent organisation of SciDev.Net) and lead author of a study that offers a path forward on this issue. She explains that One Health has traditionally focused on zoonotic diseases, limiting opportunities to tackle wider challenges. Ignoring plant health, she says, weakens the entire health system.The study highlights how global One Health frameworks continue to centre around human and animal health, even though plants are essential to nutrition, livelihoods and environmental balance.Some countries are already demonstrating what integrated approaches can achieve.In Ghana, projects linking plant health and One Health have delivered tangible benefits, says Michael Osae, a research and development scientist at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission who was involved in such initiatives. He says farmers reported better yields, fewer harmful chemicals on their farms and reduced health risks for people, animals and the environment.However, for many communities, the connections remain unclear. Kikope Oluwarore, executive director of the One Health and Development Initiative, says this lack of awareness is still one of the biggest barriers.She believes One Health messaging needs to be integrated into health, agriculture and environmental programmes to help people understand how these systems intersect in daily life.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Do you have any comments, questions or feedback about our podcast episodes? Let us know at podcast@scidev.net Africa Science Focus is produced by SciDev.Net and distributed in association with your local radio station. This episode was supported by Cabi's One Health Hub. This piece was produced by SciDev.Net's Sub-Saharan Africa English desk. Do you have any comments, questions or feedback about our podcast episodes? Let us know at podcast@scidev.net
Filmmaker, author, and journalist, Esther Armah joins Dr. Thema to discuss the pressure and expectation of emotional caretaking placed on Black women as well as our pathway to healing and liberation. They explore the emotional and physical costs of being an emotional mammy and the psychological and social steps to freeing one's self from these societal expectations. Esther A. Armah is an author, former international award-winning journalist, film-maker and playwright. Esther is author of ‘EMOTIONAL JUSTICE: a roadmap for racial healing' Emotional Justice is a racial healing roadmap Esther created over a 15-year period through assignment, research and community engagement in Accra, Philadelphia, Cape Town, London, Chicago and New York. She is CEO, The Armah Institute of Emotional Justice, a global non-profit devising, developing, designing and delivering programming for international human rights organizations, global philanthropy, social justice organizations and academia. As a journalist she has worked in London, New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. As a playwright, she has written five plays, that have been produced and performed in New York, Chicago, and Accra. As a film-maker, her short film is called ‘…goodbye to the EMOTIONAL MAMMY.' which centers Black women's wellness and the emotional weight we carry. Throughout 2025, she's done a global screening and dialogue tour for this short film across the US and Africa, in New York, Ghana, South Africa and Washington DC. Don't forget to like, subscribe, share, and comment. Music by Joy Jones.
This Giving Tuesday, SunCast brings you three powerful stories of how clean energy is transforming communities, saving lives, and unlocking local climate action.Host Nico Johnson sits down with leaders working across three different fronts of the climate fight:• Robin Swanhuyser — Twende SolarElectrifying community hubs in places like rural Ghana, turning schools and clinics into resilience engines for entire villages.• Will Heegaard — Footprint ProjectDeploying portable solar microgrids after hurricanes and wildfires, from Jamaica to Western North Carolina.• Jack Hanson — Run on ClimateEmpowering local leaders to pass real climate policy—proving the most effective climate action often starts at your city council.These are tangible, hopeful, boots-on-the-ground solutions you can support today.Expect to learn:
Mr. Beast Biography Flash a weekly Biography.Good evening, listeners. Here's your MrBeast update for the past few days.The YouTube megastar, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has been absolutely everywhere lately. Most recently, the 27-year-old content creator launched Beast Land, a pop-up theme park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, opening with over seven thousand people on day one. According to reports from his team, the launch was a logistical masterpiece—Donaldson personally appeared to meet fans, and they had to design an intricate system distributing 250 golden tickets just to manage the crowds wanting photos with him. It's the kind of spectacle only MrBeast could pull off.On the business front, trademark filings reveal Donaldson is expanding into fintech. According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Beast Holdings LLC filed for a neobank application in October, indicating plans to launch financial services including short-term lending, investment management, and cryptocurrency exchange. It's another piece of his sprawling empire that already includes MrBeast Burger, his entertainment studio, and upcoming ventures.But here's where it gets interesting on the philanthropic side. The Rockefeller Foundation, one of America's oldest charities, announced a major strategic partnership with Beast Philanthropy. According to sources close to the deal, the two organizations are combining Donaldson's unmatched ability to capture youth attention with the foundation's 112 years of development expertise. They're planning a trip to Ghana next year to tackle child labor in cocoa farming, directly connecting to Donaldson's chocolate company Feastables, which aims to prove chocolate production can be profitable without child labor.Perhaps most revealing is Donaldson's recent candid admission about his finances. Despite being worth an estimated one billion dollars on paper, the YouTube star says he has very little personal cash because he reinvests nearly everything into content and philanthropy. In fact, he's reportedly borrowing money from his mom to pay for his upcoming wedding to author Thea Booysen, whom he proposed to on Christmas 2024. He spent roughly a quarter billion dollars on content this year alone.Looking ahead, Donaldson is launching the One Billion Acts of Kindness campaign, inviting creators worldwide to participate in what could be his most ambitious philanthropic initiative yet.Thanks for tuning in to this MrBeast edition. Please subscribe to never miss an update, and search the term "Biography Flash" for more great biographies.And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Mr. Beast. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."Get the best deals https://amzn.to/4mMClBvThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
In order for us to change things, stories ae at the center of it all. To give people light and joy within the messiness: it is the flower that grows out of the concrete. …To have a movie that entertains and has a message is a delicate dance. If I go all the way in on just entertainment, the reason to do it goes away. And if I go all the way into just meaning and no one comes to see it, then what's the purpose? — John M. Chu, directorSource: an interview in Time magazineJohn Kremer is the author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, mentor to authors who have sold over a billion books, and founder of the Billion Book Initiative to help the next generation of book authors sell another billion books. Over the past 40 years, he has helped thousands of authors, both major celebrities and neophytes, to sell more books! Lots more books!John Kremer, 76, lives with his wife Gail and dog Poe in the Mohave Desert community of Dolan Springs, Arizona. His neighbors are no more crazy than he is. It takes one to know one.John Kremer is the creator and host of the Book Marketing Success podcast at https://bookmarketing.substack.com/podcast.John Kremer is the editor of the Book Marketing Success newsletter at John Kremer is a consultant on writing, publishing, and marketing books. He charges $400 per hour for his consultations. He has consulted with authors and publishers around the world.John Kremer has created courses on Pinterest Marketing, Book Marketing Success, How to Create a New York Times Bestseller, and other courses. He is currently co-creating and promoting the Pro to Published course with Peter Johnson at https://www.protopublished.com.John Kremer has spoken on book marketing, book writing, internet marketing, and business in London, England; Singapore; Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Accra, Ghana as well as in every major city in the United States.John Kremer is the webmaster, author, editor, and curator of the following websites:https://www.BookMarketingBestsellers.comhttps://www.BookAuthorAuthority.comhttps://www.MyIncredibleWebsite.comhttps://www.BookMarket.com/bookstoreBook Marketing Success is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bookmarketing.substack.com/subscribe
Leverage Your Incredible Factor Business Podcast with Darnyelle Jervey Harmon, MBA
About Our Guest: Maraya Brown is a Yale and Functional Medicine Trained Women's Health Expert (CNM, MSN). She runs The Women's Vibrancy Code and is a Podcaster, Retreat Host and Facilitator, Mom, Wife, Keynote Speaker and Founder who left her Fortune 50 Corporate Career to serve women. She deeply appreciates and respects food as medicine and mindset matters. She helps ambitious women build a legacy without burnout by helping them fine tune their nutrition, supplementation, mindset, passion and ascension from the past to a vibrant future. She is a mom of 3 children 11 and younger, and a wife to an amazing man with heart. Her work online brings her 23 years of experience supporting women together in one place to co-create deep transformation, hormonal health, consistent stamina, and undeniable confidence and passion. Maraya has managed Women's Health in Federally Funded clinics and Functional Medicine private practices and has been a part of international health endeavors in Nicaragua, Ghana, and Haiti. Today, she works online as a women's health and empowerment expert. She has caught hundreds of babies and now “midwife's woman through chapters of change.” She has served thousands of women across multiple continents and is the Founder of the Women's Vibrancy Code. Episode Summary: This episode is powered by The 7 Figure Shift Workshop “Radical honesty is the bridge between the body you have and the life you crave.” – Maraya Brown Can we be honest?! There is an often-overlooked link between hormone balance and a woman's ability to lead, speak and be seen at scale. And because it's been overlooked, we are definitely not taking it into consideration as women leveraging & scaling business empires. That stops TODAY. If you're scaling to seven figures while secretly ignoring the signs your body is whispering (or screaming), this episode is your wake-up call. Legacy-led leadership doesn't come from burnout; it's built from balance. In this intimate and disruptive conversation, Dr. Darnyelle sits down with Maraya Brown—Yale-trained CNM, women's health expert, and powerhouse CEO—to unpack the truth about what it really takes to sustain your brilliance without sacrificing your body. We're talking hormones, perimenopause, adrenal fatigue, libido, nervous system regulation, and the untold cost of hustling while hormonally depleted. You'll finally understand how your body, brain, and bank account are inextricably linked—and why optimizing your internal ecosystem is your next million-dollar move. Whether you're in the boardroom, the bedroom, or the bleeding edge of burnout, this is the episode that will change the way you do business—because if your health is on the back burner, so is your impact. This is your invitation to ditch the myth that scaling a business means sacrificing your body. If you've been running on caffeine, willpower, and survival mode, it's time to reclaim the vitality that fuels true overflow. Hit play to discover why the real ROI comes when your hormones, heart, and hustle are finally aligned. Here's the truth: A dysregulated nervous system, depleted hormones, and unresolved trauma will cap your capacity faster than any business bottleneck. Most seven-figure CEOs aren't underperforming—they're over-extended and under-resourced internally. Your strategy isn't broken—your system is screaming. Real overflow starts in your body. You'll walk away with a powerful framework to reconnect with your physical body as a portal to profit, new language for understanding what your burnout and libido are really trying to tell you and a reset button for how you show up in your business and your relationships. Get your Move to Millions Podcast notebook ready—you'll want to take notes on the lessons packed into this incredible conversation! Listen in to discover: ✔ How to identify hormonal imbalances that are silently sabotaging your business success ✔ Why regulating your nervous system is the ultimate secret to scaling with sustainability ✔ 3 non-negotiables every 7-figure woman must prioritize to access overflow, pleasure, and profit ✔ And so much more This episode is a call to stop gaslighting your own body in the name of ambition. It's time to shift the paradigm: from success that depletes to success that sustains. In a market that glorifies hustle and downplays healing, this episode challenges the high-achieving woman to get radically honest about what she's carrying—physically, emotionally, and hormonally—and how it's affecting her ability to lead, love, and live fully. Maraya Brown delivers insights that will shift your physiology and your profitability. Powerful Quotes from The Episode: “Radical honesty is the bridge between the body you have and the life you crave.” – Maraya Brown “Your body doesn't lie—but you've learned to ignore her.” – Darnyelle Jervey Harmon “We cannot grow sustainably in our business if we're silently eroding in our body.” – Maraya Brown “Overflow is not just about money; it's about hormones, health, and harmony.” – Darnyelle Jervey Harmon “Most women think their exhaustion is normal; but it's not your normal, it's your nervous system in distress.” – Maraya Brown Questions to Ask Yourself While Listening: Where in my life am I pretending I feel fine when I'm actually depleted? What story am I telling myself about needing to “push through” that no longer serves me? How might honoring my body create more income than any launch or sales strategy? When was the last time I felt deep, sustainable energy and vitality? What would radically honest self-care actually look like in this season? Move to Millions Wisdom Questions: Favorite Quote: “A rising tide lifts all boats.” President John F. Kennedy Book that Changed Everything: The Seat of the Sol By Gary Zukoff Tool Maraya Swears By On Her Own Move to Millions: Water and adaptogens How to Connect with Maraya Brown: Website: marayabrown.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/energyhormoneslibido Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_marayabrown_ Incredible One Enterprises, LLC is not responsible for the content and information delivered during the podcast interview by any guest. As always, we suggest that you conduct your own due diligence regarding any proclamations by podcast guests. Incredible One Enterprises, LLC is providing the podcast for informational purposes only. Want more of Darnyelle? Register for the 7 Figure Shift Workshop Join the Move to Millions Facebook Group Take the Ascension Archetype Quiz Social Media Links: http://www.instagram.com/darnyellejerveyharmon http://www.facebook.com/darnyellejerveyharmon http://www.twitter.com/darnyellejervey http://www.linkedin.com/in/darnyellejerveyharmon Subscribe to the Move to Millions Podcast: Listen on iTunes Listen on Google Play Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Listen on Pandora Leave us a review Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you're not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don't want you to miss an episode. I'm adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you're not subscribed there's a good chance you'll miss out on those. Now if you're feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they're also fun for me to go in and read. 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Der Albtraum beginnt mit einem Anruf. Es ist der 4. Dezember 2018, als die 18-jährige Ruth Love Quayson zuhause anruft und um Hilfe fleht. Sie weint und berichtet ihrer Familie, dass man sie entführt habe. Nun solle die Familie Lösegeld zahlen. Was sich zunächst anhört, wie eine einfach Lösegeld-Erpressung wird bald zu einem verzweifelten Kampf für Ruths Familie. Die Entführer terrorisieren Ruths Angehörige, die Polizei scheint wenig engagiert. Als ein Verdächtiger festgenommen wird, scheint Ruths Rückkehr in greifbare Nähe zu rücken. Doch dann meldet sich wieder eine bekannte Nummer und es wird klar, dieser Albtraum ist längst nicht vorbei. Und wie sich herausstellt ist Ruths Familie nicht die einzige, die um Antworten kämpft. Denn in Takoradi werden noch mehr junge Frauen vermisst, die bald zusammen als The Takoradi Girls bekannt sein werden.Eine ganze Stadt fiebert mit den Familien von Ruth Love Quayson, Ruth Abakah, Priscilla Blessing Bentum und Priscilla Mantebea Koranchie. Heute berichten wir von einem Fall, der in Ghana unglaublich hohe Wellen geschlagen hat. Es geht um den verzweifelten Kampf um vier junge Frauen, um falsche Fährten, Baby Factories und verlorenes Vertrauen.Inhaltswarnung: Explizite Gewalt (gg. Minderjährige), Entführung, Sexualisierte Gewalt, Schwangerschaft, MenschenhandelOb der Fall gelöst oder ungelöst ist seht ihr ganz unten in der Folgenbeschreibung: N= nicht gelöst, G = Gelöst.SHOWNOTES:Danke an unsere heutigen Werbepartner:Shopify:Mit unserem Code PUPPIES könnt ihr Shopify kostenlos testen. Klickt hier.Formel Skin: Mit unserem Code PUPPIESANDCRIME spart ihr 40% auf die ersten zwei Monate. Gilt nur für Neukund:innen. Klickt hier. Wild:Mit unserem Code PUPPIES könnt ihr bei Wild ordentlich sparen. Klickt hier . (Unsere Dauer-Duft-Empfehlung: Cotton and Sea Salt!)Falls ihr die Arbeit der Gerald Asamoah Stiftung für herzkranke Kinder unterstützen möchtet, klickt hier.Hier findet ihr alle Links zu all unseren aktuellen Werbepartnern, Rabatten und Codes:https://linktr.ee/puppiesandcrimeEmpfehlungen Pupkins Bookclub November Thema: MagieAmanda: Mr. Parnassus Heim für magisch Begabte/ The House on the Cerulean Sea von T.J. Klune (Rieeesenempfehlung)Marieke: Liest noch Tage im warmen Licht von Kristina PfisterSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: @Puppiesandcrime - https://www.instagram.com/puppiesandcrime/?hl=deTiktok: @puppiesandcrime.podcast - https://www.tiktok.com/@puppiesandcrime.podcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/PuppiesandCrimeEmail: puppiesandcrime@gmail.com------- G --------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
¿Y si te dijera que algunos de los momentos más cruciales de la historia del fútbol no se decidieron solo con talento y sudor, sino con rituales de magia negra, maldiciones ancestrales y fenómenos que desafían toda explicación lógica? En este episodio de DÍAS EXTRAÑOS nos adentramos en el lado más oscuro y perturbador del deporte rey. Desde equipos que contratan brujos con nómina oficial hasta estadios construidos sobre antiguos cementerios, pasando por futbolistas que han visto fantasmas en sus propios vestuarios y partidos suspendidos por avistamientos OVNI. Descubrirás por qué la selección de Ghana lleva décadas arrastrando una maldición mortal, qué pasó realmente en el estadio de Mbombela cuando un entrenador cayó fulminado tras desafiar a un hechicero, y cómo en Camerún los árbitros incluyen en sus informes oficiales la presencia de "fuerzas invisibles" que alteran el resultado de los partidos. Y además: Cuentos Fantásticos: La Torre de las Bestias, de J.D, Rhodehouse Ciencia y ficción, con Verónica Fernandez Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals
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LA BELLE EXPERIENCE ( Celui qui a ne gaspille pas les bonnes choses qui viennent de Dieu ) 19-10-2025
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LA BELLE EXPERIENCE ( Comment Dieu rend t-il les gens riches part1 ) 05-10-2025
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POIMEN SERVICE ( Les mauvaises pensées de ceux qui ne paient pas la dîme ) 21-10-2025
LA BELLE EXPERIENCE ( Celui qui a obtiendra encore plus, car il reconnaît la grace de Dieu ) 26-10-2025
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Mr. Beast Biography Flash a weekly Biography.Jimmy Donaldson, known worldwide as MrBeast, has been making major moves across multiple ventures as we head into the final month of 2025. According to Global Fintech Insider, the YouTube megastar filed a trademark application in October under Beast Holdings LLC for what appears to be a neobank targeting his 447 million subscribers. The filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office lists services for short-term cash advances, consumer lending, investment management, financial education, cryptocurrency exchange, and credit and debit card issuance. While trademark filings are preliminary steps and a significant distance from actual bank licensing, this move signals serious intentions to enter the financial services space, building on Donaldson's previous investments in fintech companies like Current and Bitski.On the philanthropy front, Beast Philanthropy announced a major strategic partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation on November 24th. This collaboration pairs Donaldson's unparalleled ability to engage youth audiences with the foundation's 112-year legacy of tackling global problems. The partnership focuses on inspiring younger generations, particularly Gen Z, to care about vulnerable populations worldwide. Notably, the two organizations plan to visit Ghana early next year to collaborate on development and community-led change initiatives. Through his snack company Feastables, Donaldson continues championing fair-trade chocolate production and fighting child labor on cacao farms, hoping to provide farmers with living wages while rallying consumers around ethical practices.Beyond these ventures, MrBeast's sprawling empire continues expanding. According to Business Insider reporting, the creator revealed ownership stakes in Beast Industries during a deposition, underscoring the scale of his business empire estimated at around five billion dollars. The company has been aggressively hiring new executives to strengthen content production and brand partnership capabilities.The partnership with Rockefeller Foundation represents perhaps the most significant development, signaling a maturation of Donaldson's approach to philanthropy. Rather than operating solo, he's deliberately seeking established expertise to ensure his charitable work creates lasting, measurable impact beyond viral moments.Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode. Please subscribe to never miss an update on MrBeast and search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Mr. Beast. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."Get the best deals https://amzn.to/4mMClBvThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
In this fast-paced post-Thanksgiving episode, Ghost kicks things off by delivering the rants left over from Tuesday's interrupted show before diving straight into global turbulence. He unpacks audience boosts, Monty Python jokes, oil economics in Venezuela and Ghana, and viewer updates from abroad, casually weaving in Middle Eastern geopolitics and Russian-aligned narratives. From Hillary Clinton and Skolkovo to Medvedev's tech ambitions, Brain-Drain Russia, and the purges shaping Putin's power structure, Ghost explores how these dynamics mirror what's unfolding in Ukraine. He then zooms in on Zelensky's internal collapse, mass resignations, corruption raids, and doubts about Kyiv's legitimacy, all while Trump's peace-deal pressure campaign intensifies behind the scenes. Bringing his trademark humor, receipts, and geopolitical mind-mapping, Ghost ties together Ukraine, MBS, Qatar, and CIA fingerprints across global destabilization efforts. It's classic Geopolitics with Ghost: rants, receipts, and a gritty walk through the realignment underway across the world.
Corinne Fisher talks all the biggest news this week including the latest legal dust up over the Epstein files, a literal witch hunt in Ghana, a state Supreme Court hearing arguments about conversion therapy in 2025, Chat GPT's own plan to corrupt the youth if it was Satan and more before getting into the main story, The highly publicized meeting between Trump and Zohran in the Oval Office plus so much more!Original Air Date: 11/26/25You can watch Without A Country LIVE every Wednesday at 9PM on our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjP3oJVS_BEgGXOPcVzlpVw!**PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON iTUNES & SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL**Link To The Patreon!https://patreon.com/WithoutACountry?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLinkThis Week Corinne looks at a New Yorker piece on Nick Fuentes and what sets him apart from your typical right wing edgelordWHERE YOU CAN ANNOY US:Corinne Fisher:Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilanthropyGalInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philanthropygalExecutive Producer: Mike HarringtonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/themharrington/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMHarringtonTheme Song By Free VicesWebsite https://www.freevices.com/Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/artist/free-vices/1475846774Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/3fUw9W8zIj6RbibZN2b3kP?si=N8KzuFkvQXSnaejeDqVpIg&nd=1&dlsi=533dddc8672f46f0SoundCloud https://on.soundcloud.com/5sceVeUFADVBJr4P7YouTube https://youtube.com/channel/UCOsgEoQ2-czvD8eWctnxAAw?si=SL1RULNWVuJb8AONInstagram http://instagram.com/free_vicesLatest On The Epstein Fileshttps://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-orders-expedited-processing-request-records-related-dojs/story?id=127872573COULD BE WORSEWitch Hunt in Ghanahttps://www.vice.com/en/article/witch-hunt-in-ghana-is-endangering-older-women-accused-of-witchcraft/Amnesty Internationalhttps://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/04/ghana-witchcraft-accusations/Al Jazeerahttps://www.aljazeera.com/features/longform/2025/11/23/accused-shunned-exiled-the-women-banished-to-ghanas-witch-campsSupreme Court https://www.thetrevorproject.org/blog/chiles-v-salazar/#:~:text=Supreme%20Court%20Conversion%20Therapy%20Advocacy,%2C%20anxiety%2C%20and%20suicide%20risk.Quitting - MTGhttps://thehill.com/homenews/house/5621261-marjorie-taylor-greene-speaker-johnson-house-gop/Municipal TENNESSEESchool Board Dramahttps://clarksvillenow.com/local/crosslin-withdraws-school-board-resignation-says-gigolos-appearance-will-not-define-her/Andhttps://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/11/tennessee-aftyn-behn-special-election/MAIN STORYZOHRAN/TRUMPCNN (what actually happened)https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/23/politics/trump-mamdani-meeting-immigration-details-discussionNY Times (social media response)https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/style/mamdani-trump-reactions-fuentes-bannon.htmlReason (Zohran apparently a genius)https://reason.com/2025/11/24/mamdani-understands-something-about-trump-that-european-leaders-dont/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The ladies are back with another hilarious round of holiday-themed AITA posts! With Thanksgiving right around the corner, our hosts jump into Reddit's messiest stories about seasonal stress, family tension, in-law drama, boundary-setting, and all the chaos that kicks off the holiday season. And yes, Moni showed up working through a hangover like a true podcasting professional. The ladies soldier on anyway, delivering their signature Fake Ass Book Club energy reading, reacting, and deciding who's really the asshole when holiday expectations collide with real-life personalities. Tune in for a fun return to one of their favorite episode styles as they unpack holiday drama. Cheers!
In what ways can KOLs better use their power in an age where a single video can reach millions? Tune in to #GlobalSouthNextGen: Voices and Visions, and check out the stories of two KOLs from Ghana and Indonesia who use their creativity, empathy, and the shared desire to make people understand each other a little better.
As the daughter of UN diplomat, Nadia Owusu grows up across several worlds. Trailing her father from Africa to Europe before moving to the United States for university, Nadia grapples with her fractured identity. But when Nadia returns to her father's village in Ghana, she finds an unexpected and affirming answer to who she is.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.