CMBL founder Ciru Karanja sits down with Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and they discuss the currently flawed system of life in Kenya, both believing that everyone deserves equality. They also discuss the importance of mental health and the stigma behind talking about them. 

CMBL

Ciru Karanja & Boniface Mwangi

Trauma takes many shapes and forms and is different to everyone. There is no one clear definition as we take information and interpret it differently from one person to another. This tweet from Grace (Twitter: dreamsofskies) perfectly sums this up as a child who is impressionable also takes and interprets things differently as an adult would.   Some may think that what we say or do around a child may not have an effect on them when in reality they do. We must take a step back in any given situation and choose our words carefully and think about the consequences that our words my give.   Taking the time to come back from any given situation can allow us some time to analyze and possibly diffuse the tension as to not lash out due to emotions. In this special episode, Ciru Karanja has a conversation with Grace over the topic of trauma and how the actions we do can unintentionally traumatize someone due to them perceiving your actions in their own way.

Trauma Talks

Njoki Waciuri and Ciru Karanja highlight the differences with the two for clarification and how CMBL is playing its part to help. ⠀⁣⠀

Mental Health V. Mental Illness

Sherry Karanja and Mbugua Njogu, both members of cmbl, talk about how our community has stigmatised mental health. ⠀⁣⁣⠀⁣⠀ ⠀⁣⁣⠀⁣⠀ In addition they both discuss intimately about their experiences.

Stigma Behind Mental Well Being

Intergenertional Trauma is trauma that is passed down through generations. This can clearly be seen within the Black community as to how slavery and systematic racism has treated them. In this episode, CMBL inter, Tess Tanaka, has a conversation with Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis and they discuss intergenerational trauma, healing, racism, and much more.

Intergenerational Trauma

The divide between African Americans and African Immigrants has been evident for years. In this particular episode of Empowering Blackness, Ciru Karanja, has a conversation with her friend, John Graham, and they discuss the importance of understating the power black people have and how unity is essential to thriving as a community. ⁣

African Immigrants & African Americans

CMBL founder, Ciru Karanja, has a conversation with Kenyan based Hip Hop artist, Juliani Kenya, and they have a discussion on mental health, relationships, and a mulitude of other topics.

Conversation with Juliani Kenya

Racism has been playing a major role with civilizations for many centuries and particularly in the African community. In recent years, we have seen an influx of racial motivated attacks on the black community here in the states and there are some who justify these attacks as self defense and allow these murderers to continue walking without any ramifications. In this episode, CMBL intern, Njoki Pertet, has a conversation with co-founder of No White Saviors and they discuss what it means to be antiracist and the dangers of white saviourism.

Anti-Racism

What does identity mean to you? Identity has a broad definition and can mean anything to anyone which can be seen as a metaphorical play on the word. We can identify ourselves with certain groups based on our gender, sexuality, race, religion, and a number of other groups. We are focusing on racial identity in this particular episode and how one can trace their heritage back to your true culture. We all come from different walks of life which can be a complete opposite when you look at where you came from. Clear Minds Better Livez founder, Ciru Karanja, has a conversation with her friend, Ime Antikah, and they discuss how unity in identity can empower you and how you can support those who share the same identity as you. 

Unity In Identity

This past season, CMBL founder, Ciru Karanja, has explored multiple topics with extraordinary guests that reflect what Clear Minds Better Livez stands for. We want to convey the message that it is okay to open up and talk about mental health. It is a topic that many find difficult to even begin thinking about, but it is a necessary one. This season has also explored topics about how the world around us affects our mental health status and it just lets you know that it is okay to feel things. We do not have control over many things in our surrounding environments, but we can combat it but taking care of our minds, bodies, and spirits. In this episode, Ciru Karanja, talks about her closing remarks over this past season. She shares her gratitudes to our guests, and also to you, the audience. We hope to see you in the next iteration of the podcasts.  

Season 2 Reflections

What would you say to someone who is dealing with inner turmoil and is not overall at peace with who they are. Would you be willing to lend them an ear so that they can sit and talk to you, or would you pass it along and recommend that they seek professional help? What if you were the one in their position? It takes a lot to begin the journey of healing the pain and emotional, physical, and psychological trauma that you endured in the past. But in order to grow as a person, we have to let those things go no matter how painful or impossible it may seem. Although it may seem like a never ending tunnel and that there is no way you can overcome it, there is light at the end of the tunnel and you such a strong person even though you may not see that now. This episode is very special this week. CMBL founder, Ciru Karanja, sits down with Dr. Kelly Flanagan, a psychologist, author, and public speaker, and they discuss the journey of self reflection and healing. Dr. Flanagan also talks about his books, Loveable, and his upcoming book, True Companions, which speak truth to every individual, especially during these challenging times. 

Self Reflection & Healing

We are currently living in a dangerous point in human civilization. With political unrest, being in the middle of a pandemic, we all have another foe that some believe isn't real. Climate change is the process in which the Earth is slowly heating due to green house gasses trapping the Sun's energy in our atmosphere rather than it being back into space. Climate change is very real and is backed up by science. This is all due to mankind's work. With industrialization only happening a little over two centuries ago, we have polluted our oceans, cut down our forests, displaced billions of animals and wildlife all for profit. This is an issue that needs to be solved now or else we as human beings, no longer have a future on this planet. It is our responsibility to take part in this initiative and do whatever we can to undo this mess that we have made. This week, CMBL founder, Ciru Karanja sits down with her friend, Josh Schneider, and they discuss climate change and the impact it has on our overall mental health. We are all in this together and that is exactly how we should strive to fix this issue, together. 

Climate Change

How do you utilize social media? We are now more connected to each other now than we ever have been thanks to the internet and social media. Globally, we average about two hours a day across all platforms. Whether it is us trying to stay connected with our friends and family, to just getting news, we often find ourselves mindlessly scrolling through content without even realizing how much actual time we are losing. What might this do to our minds on a mental and emotional level? Because we are all individuals, this affects us differently. Sometimes a post can trigger us or make us upset. It is up to us to adapt and overcome this by knowing your limits and in a little of cases, taking a break from social media. CMBL founder, Ciru Karanja sits down with her friend, Jacita Crawford, who is going to school for psychology, and they discuss the pros and cons of using social media and it how it affects us on a mental and emotional level. In the long run, social media can be very beneficial, but it can also be negative on our mental state. 

Social Media

Our family and friends play a big role in our daily lives and also contribute to who we are as we grow. We are taught new things daily while growing up and are expected to behave in a manner that coincides with this. But have you ever felt that some things you were taught as a child, don’t necessarily fall into what you believe now? This is partly due to a generational gap that mainly affects the relationship between our parents. We often hear "that was the way my parents taught me," or "this is how my parents treated me." This can cause internal confliction within us because the world is not the same to us as it was to our parents. Many things have become a social norm to us that would have been considered taboo to our parents a decade ago. In this episode, Ciru Karanja sits down with her longtime friend and family member, Rachel Wanjema, and they discuss how this perspective has affected their lives and how keeping our parents accountable can help us and them adjust to today's world. 

Family and Friends Perspective

What does wealth mean to you? This is such a broad question for many because there are so many responses to this question. It could mean being able to spend as much as you want without even having to worry about how much money you have in your account or it could just also mean that you are able to have enough after all your expenses to put the rest in a savings account. But what would generational wealth mean? Are you setting up your future family to be able to get by when you are no longer here, or could it be starting a business that can be passed down. In this week's episode, Ciru Karanja sits down with her friend, Kelvin Njenga, and they discuss what generational wealth means to them and how Kelvin first began his journey through his passion for finances. 

Generational Wealth

This podcast series will feature different conversations surrounding mental health from members of the organization, Clear Minds Better Livez. Season 2 , currently ongoing is an embodiment of who the founder , Wanjiru Karanja is about. What she believes and what is of importance to her as we continue to highlight mental health in all aspects.

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