This week, Mungi speaks with Dr. Jean Augustine, the first Black woman to be elected to Canada's House of Commons. They discuss Dr. Augustine's life's work consisting of service, advocacy, and activism; and she shares what her experience was like as the first Black woman MP and some of the successes she has had. They also speak about intersectionality and the loneliness that occurs when your identity is not represented. With several institutions named after her, including the Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women's Empowerment, Dr. Augustine speaks about the importance of ensuring that she is a role model for the youth and what she expects of them. The Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women's Empowerment was started in 2014 by Dr. Jean Augustine after seeing a specific need in the community to create a space where young women and girls could thrive and be supported to reach their full potential. The Centre offers virtual STEM activities — including coding, social entrepreneurship, and academic programs for girls aged 7-17.

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Fellow The Brand is Female Podcast Studio host, Shayla Oulette Stonechild joined Mungi this week to discuss her work, the issues affecting Indigenous people today, and reclaiming power.

Shayla is at the forefront of Indigenous women's wellness. Utilizing her skills as a powerful speaker and thought leader, Shayla is the founder of the “Matriarch Movement', a non-profit organization dedicated to highlighting Indigenous voices and providing wellness workshops to BIPOC women across Canada. In this episode, Shayla describes the origin story of Matriarch Movement and how the name came to her in a dream, she discusses how her mother's work had an impact on the work she wanted to do and speaks about her Indigenous women role models. As a television show host and trauma-informed yoga instructor, Shayla offers Mungi an enlightening perspective that comes with being a trauma-informed yoga instructor, as well as how it allows people to reclaim their power.

As a Mètis and Nehiyaw Iskwew (Plains Cree Woman) from Muscowpetung First Nations, Shayla has always been a catalyst for Indigenous youth and women unlocking their full potential. Through her work, Shayla hopes to bring often difficult, yet necessary, Indigenous topics into mainstream conversations. In this conversation, they discuss several of the issues affecting Indigenous communities today that are still commonly overlooked, and how we can return to an Indigenous worldview.

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This week, host Mungi Ngomane is joined by Sinikiwe Stephanie Dhliwayo, a creative, an entrepreneur, an educator, and a speaker who is steadfast in her belief that Blackness and humanity are inextricably linked. She is driven daily by a deep desire to change the narrative of what it looks like and feels like to be well. An immigrant from Zimbabwe, Sinikiwe's work is imbued with Ubuntu and in this episode, she and Mungi discuss the mission of her wellness company, Naaya, as well as how she approaches wellness.

Whether making yoga and meditation accessible to those who need the practice most, or telling stories of marginalized folks through elevated photo and video, Sinikiwe is dedicated to creating a more equitable and just society. In this conversation, Sinikiwe speaks about how she does not believe in a one-size-fits-all wellness practice, focusing instead on asking ourselves: what "brings us joy?" Her work and efforts to make the wellness space more equitable can be found in Beyonce, Byrdie, Dame, Goop, Well and Good, and Refinery29. Her previous teaching and speaking engagements include The Re-Treat, Create and Cultivate, The Wing, Unwell Conference, Lululemon, Goop League, Summit, Faherty Sun Sessions, and Girlvana.

Listen to this episode to hear Sinikiwe share what she lost in the pandemic and what keeps her going in difficult moments. Mungi also highlights Sinikiwe's automatic email response and the two have a conversation about how to balance granting yourself grace in this fast-paced world.

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