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Recorded on a solo trip I almost didn't take: two years of the podcast, a hard year, and finding joy in the middle of the storm. Hey y'all 🤎 This one is special. It's my birthday week, the Brown Heart Wellness Podcast just turned two, and I recorded this episode on the beach during a solo trip I almost talked myself out of. I'm sharing what this past year has really looked like: being laid off last October, my family shifting all at once, and the long work of finding my footing when it felt like I was drowning. I talk about why it's okay to pause, why coming up for air is part of saving yourself, and why bravery doesn't always feel brave. This season isn't about the storm itself. It's about finding joy and finding ourselves in the middle of it. So get your umbrella. Let's talk about it. In this episode: - Why I started this show two years ago, and how it grew into the Brown Heart community - Where the Brown Heart came from - Last October: the layoff, the family shifts, and the spiral I wasn't ready for - Letting my footing find me, one day at a time - Saving yourself: dive in, come up for air, go back in - Travel, escape, and the difference between running away and needing a pause - Giving yourself a full-bodied yes - Why the brave thing doesn't always feel good in the moment - Getting your umbrella and finding joy in the storm Brown Heart Affirmation: I am coming up out of the water. I've got my umbrella. I don't have to wait for the storm to pass to find my joy. Brown Heart Mindful Moment: Let your shoulders drop and sit with me by the ocean for a moment. Picture yourself opening your umbrella. Breathe in slow, and let go. You are covered, and you can rest right here, even in the rain. One Brave Thing: Before you hit a reason to cancel on yourself, ask "What's the solution?" before you say "I quit." Timestamps: 00:00 The solo trip I almost didn't take 02:00 Why I started this podcast 04:54 Where the Brown Heart came from 06:28 Last October: when the storm hit 09:27 Letting my footing find me 13:55 Come up for air, go back in, save yourself 15:37 Travel, escape, and needing a pause 18:00 On the beach, full of gratitude 18:31 What do you deserve a full-bodied yes to? 20:39 Bravery doesn't always feel brave 23:03 Get your umbrella 27:03 Brown Heart Mindful Moment 29:21 A birthday gift for the show It's my birthday week and the show's birthday too. The gift I'm asking for: share this episode with a friend who needs a pause, and hit follow so you don't miss what's coming next. 🤎 #BlackWomenLeaders #Burnout #Rest #FindingJoy

Burnout isn't just being tired. Robin Hopkins and I talk about the beliefs that keep us running on empty. 🤎 This season is about finding who we are after the storm. But sometimes we have to talk about resting in the middle of it. I joined Robin Hopkins and producer Steph Colburn on Well...Adjusting to talk about how to recognize burnout, why so many of us end up there, and what we learned about work, rest, and bravery from the generations before us. We get into my grandmother's answer when I asked her about bravery, why doing less can feel like panic, and why "lazy" is usually a judgment, not the truth. Affirmation: I don't have to earn my rest. Brown Heart Mindful Moment: Stay to the end for a short breathing practice. You are not broken. One Brave Thing: Practice STOP this week. CTA: Oldest or only daughter? Join The Oldest and Only waitlist at oldestandonly.samanthaedu.com Credit: Originally released on Well...Adjusting, an editaudio original. Follow Robin at @realrobhops and editaudio at @editaud.io. Shared with permission. Tags: burnout, rest, Black women leaders, self-leadership Note: This episode contains explicit language.

My capacity is my capacity. After a season of living my own lessons, I'm back for Season 3 and ready to talk liberated living. Hey y'all, welcome back to the Brown Heart Wellness Podcast. After a podcast sabbatical filled with learnings, growth, and a lot of transition, including a layoff from my corporate role, I found myself living out the lessons from Seasons 1 and 2. The biggest one? My capacity is my capacity. In this reintroduction, I share what this season taught me, why your mental wellness deserves more space, and what's ahead for Season 3: liberated living, choosing your preferences first, and deconstructing the boxes we've been put in (and the ones we put ourselves in). Because we aren't always the problem. We live and work in systems too. Stay with me, share this with a friend, and sit with me. We are a community. Brown Heart Affirmation:I am allowed to exist fully in the life I have built. Brown Heart Mindful Moment:Take a big deep breath, exhale, and ask yourself: What's one thing that I know I like? Your One Brave Thing:Choose one preference this week and put it first. Join The Oldest & Only waitlist:Update since recording: the waitlist is still open, and the first cohort now begins January 2027. A 6-month coaching program for oldest and only daughters who are done holding it all together.www.oldestandonly.samanthaedu.com Take care of your brown heart. 🤎

Finish What You Started (Without Burning Yourself Out) w/ Patrice Dawkins Jackson What do you actually have the capacity for right now? In this episode, I sit down with Patrice Dawkins Jackson, host of Finish What You Started, and we talk about what it really means to follow through without running yourself into the ground. We explore: • The difference between discipline and depletion• How to check your real capacity• Finishing in a season that looks different than when you began• Why pushing harder is not always the answer And of course, I asked her our throughline question:What is one brave thing you’re prioritizing right now? Connect with Patrice:IG: https://www.instagram.com/finishwhatyoustartedpod/www.finishwhatyoustarted.co — If this conversation felt a little too familiar in your body… especially around work exhaustion or burnout… I’m facilitating an 8-week virtual therapy group beginning March 31 called Burnout Recovery for High-Achieving Women. This is a clinical group for women navigating work-based stress who want support regulating, setting boundaries, and rebuilding sustainably. A brief group fit consultation is required before enrollment closes March 24 . ⁠Learn more here:https://www.samanthaedu.com/therapy-groups/burnout-reset/ — Share this with someone who’s trying to finish strong without finishing burned out. Samantha

In a season where everything feels loud, heavy, and urgent, many of us are exhausted while still expecting ourselves to function at full capacity. In this episode, Samantha Edu explores one of the most damaging lies about self-compassion and how it quietly fuels burnout. What many people are calling “stress” right now is often a threat response. When the world feels unstable, our nervous systems stay on high alert, and compassion can feel like something we can’t afford. This conversation is about staying awake to the world without burning yourself to the ground, choosing impact without self-erasure, and leading yourself with care in chaotic times. Brown Heart Affirmation:I can be honest about what’s happening without abandoning myself.I can choose impact that does not cost me my humanity. 💛 Support & Next StepsIf your capacity has shifted but your calling hasn’t, you don’t have to navigate that alone. Learn more about individual therapy and the burnout support group:https://secure.helloalma.com/providers/samantha-edu/ Share this episode with someone who’s functioning, but not okay.

What happens when your capacity changes but your identity doesn’t? In this season-opening episode, Samantha reflects on a powerful metaphor. The difference between being a teacup and being a vase. Same purpose. Different capacity. After a difficult professional interaction, she realized something important. She wasn’t a teacup because she was weak. Her capacity had shifted. And the real harm comes when we expect teacup capacity to produce vase-level outcomes. This episode is an honest conversation about: Allowing your capacity and bandwidth to change across seasons Why being tired doesn’t mean you’re less capable How burnout shows up when output expectations don’t match reality Letting your inner strength rest without disappearing Remembering that strength doesn’t vanish just because it’s not needed right now If you’re in a season where things feel heavier, slower, or more tender, this episode offers permission to stop proving and start honoring where you are. What shape am I right now?And what would it look like to honor that instead of fighting it? 🫖 If this metaphor resonates and you want to read the full written reflection, it’s available on Substack. 🎥 Starting this season, the audio version of the podcast lives on Spotify. For the full visual experience, including imagery and presence, you can watch the episode on YouTube. 🤎 Stay close this season as we continue exploring capacity, self-trust, and what it means to lead ourselves with care.

As this year comes to a close, I’m being honest about where I am. Q4 took more out of me than I expected. My brain felt short-circuited, my body felt tired, and the idea of “finishing strong” just wasn’t realistic. So in this episode, I talk about what it means to simply finish. Not perfectly. Not impressively. Just with compassion. I reflect on why one season doesn’t define an entire year, why endurance deserves more grace than we give it, and how I’m choosing to move through this ending without rushing myself into clarity or closure. This episode is for anyone who made it to the end of the year tired, quieter than usual, or still figuring things out. You’re not behind. You’re human. In this episode, I explore: Why Q4 felt heavy and disorienting Letting go of the pressure to “finish strong” What endurance looks like in real life Ending the year with honesty instead of urgency Holding hope without forcing a plan As I close out the year, I also share about The Hall Pass, a community-centered offering created for Black women navigating layoffs, career shifts, and employment transitions. It’s rooted in access, care, and not having to move through uncertainty alone. Learn more about The Hall Pass here:https://stan.store/brownheartwellness/p/the-hall-pass-for-black-women-navigating-layoffs I also briefly name that I’m opening space for new coaching clients as we move into the new year, for those who want support while they figure things out at a humane pace. Take what you need from this episode. Leave the rest. And thank yourself for finishing.

This week on The Brown Heart Wellness Podcast, I’m joined by Kali Fields Williams a holistic wellness practitioner and author of Renewable You, helping women reconnect with their inner wisdom and live with intention and balance. We talk about what it really means to heal the whole woman,mind, body, and spirit, and how to move from simply setting intentions to fully integrating them. Kali shares her journey of balancing motherhood, entrepreneurship, and self-healing, and how breath, boundaries, and being still have become her anchors. If you’ve been craving alignment or searching for the next brave step in your healing journey, this conversation will remind you that you already hold the wisdom you need within. 🤎 Brown Heart Affirmation:“I honor the woman I’m becoming — whole, grounded, and guided by truth.” 🧘🏾‍♀️ Brown Heart Mindful Moment:Take a slow, deep breath. Place your hand over your heart and whisper to yourself: “I am safe in my becoming.” 00:00 – Opening + Brown Heart Affirmation02:15 – Introducing Kali and her wellness journey05:45 – From intention to integration: embodying healing10:30 – How motherhood and entrepreneurship changed her practice15:20 – The power of boundaries and stillness in self-leadership21:10 – Breathwork and energy as tools for regulation25:40 – Brown Heart Mindful Moment27:10 – Outro + Call to Action Here's how to find Kali Renewable You Book Waitlist LinkedIn - Kali Fields Williams (let her know you heard her here) If this episode spoke to your spirit, share it with a friend who’s walking her own healing journey.🤎 Join the One Brave Thing community for free until November 8, 2025and follow along at @brownheartwellness for daily reflections and mindful moments.

After a beautiful, intentional break to bring the Positioned to Pause Retreat to life, Samantha returns with reflections on the power of community, compassion, and rest. This episode is a love letter to the women who showed up, the ones who helped make it happen, and the reminder that you don’t have to recreate the same oppressive systems inside the business you’re building. “Rest isn’t what happens when everything stops. Rest is what allows you to keep becoming.” Brown Heart Affirmation: “Today, I choose compassion over comparison. I honor the season I’m in. My pause is not proof of failure, it’s evidence of faith.” Today's conversation is all about: The beauty of pausing with purpose What it means to heal with other people How community and joy fuel brave living A gentle invitation to join the One Brave Thing Community (free until Nov 8) Healing happens with other people. Join the free community through November 8 → samanthaedu.com/obtcommunity This episode and the Positioned to Pause Retreat were made possible by partners who believe in rest, joy, and community care: The Honey Pot Co – Wellness reimagined for the modern woman. Smooth September Tea – Hand-blended teas that soothe and center. Georgia in a Jar – Southern sweetness and local love in every bite. Get Into Wine – Charcuterie pairings and bottles that make community gatherings even sweeter. Hormonal Cookie – Balancing indulgence with nourishment for your inner goddess. Thank you for pouring into this moment of rest and reflection. 🤎 Samantha Edu is a licensed therapist, certified coach, and founder of Brown Heart Wellness—a community where Black women leaders, caregivers, and creatives learn to live bravely, rest intentionally, and lead authentically through the ROOT Framework (Reflect, Open, Overcome, Thrive).

A gentle reset before the pour. I open with a short intro, then Dr. Nicole Pertillar and I dig into what a real pause looks like and why it matters. Episode overview:Today I’m sharing our co-live conversation with Dr. Nicole Pertillar as we partner her Sip from the Well: 10 Days of Pause (Oct 1–10) with my Positioned to Pause mini-retreat (Oct 11). We talk about rest as a brave choice, how to pause without guilt, and practical ways to return to yourself so you can pour from overflow, not empty. What you’ll hear: How to pause with intention and not lose your momentum Simple practices to create room for rest in a full life Why community helps you keep your pause promise to yourself Save your seat for Positioned to Pause on Oct 11. Light bites, teacher-led mindful movement, journal time, community space, and a wellness kit. www.samanthaedu.com/retreats Sip from the Well: 10 Days of Pause with Dr. Nicole Pertillar (Oct 1–10) — Register Here Follow Dr. Nicole Pertillar on IG Resources: Join the Brown Heart Substack Community Disclosure:This conversation is a collaboration to uplift rest, reflection, and community care.

In this episode of the Brown Heart Wellness Podcast, Samantha sits down with Khalia Davis Philp and Demetrius Philp, co-founders of Smooth September. They share the inspiration behind their wellness beverage company rooted in Caribbean healing traditions, the role of tea as a daily ritual, and the “One Brave Thing” guiding their journey as entrepreneurs. Samantha also shares her own experience with Smooth September’s Awakening Blend and how it has become part of her morning ritual. Smooth September is a proud sponsor of the Positioned to Pause Retreat happening October 11 in Atlanta. Early bird tickets are going fast, and listeners can also enjoy 15% off Smooth September teas and juices with code BHW2025. 👉 Shop Smooth September: smoothseptember.com/discount/BHW2025👉 Join the retreat: samanthaedu.com/retreats

What does it take to reinvent your career and life in midlife with confidence? In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Neca Smith—Midlife Career Strategist, coach, and founder of The Great Big Life—to talk about career reinvention after 40, overcoming self-doubt, and finding fulfillment in your next chapter. Neca shares her journey of redefining success, the mindset shifts that helped her release “shoulds,” and the tools she uses to guide women in transition toward clarity and courage. If you’ve ever wondered how to create a fulfilling career and life that truly aligns with who you are now, this episode will inspire you to take that brave next step. This conversation is also the perfect kickoff to two big things happening in our Brown Heart Wellness community: ✨ The One Brave Thing Group Coaching Program, launching September 9th → Join here ✨ The Positioned to Pause Retreat, a 3-hour mini-retreat in Atlanta on October 11th → Learn more Connect with Neca Smith: 🌐 Website: necasmith.com 📸 Instagram: @thegreatbiglife Let’s Stay Connected: 🤎 Follow me on Instagram: @brownheartwellness 🎧 Subscribe to the Brown Heart Podcast so you never miss an episode 📩 Share this episode with a friend who’s ready to take her one brave thing ✨ Whether you’re craving a career reinvention in midlife, looking for ways to overcome self-doubt, or simply ready to create space for your next brave step, this episode with Neca Smith offers both wisdom and encouragement.

In this mini episode of the Brown Heart Wellness Podcast, I share what I learned from two back-to-back experiences: Woman Evolve, a transformative faith and personal growth conference, and the Podcast Summit, a gathering of creators learning how to amplify their voices and grow with courage. Both events reminded me of one truth: bravery shows up in different ways depending on the season. Sometimes bravery is speaking up. Sometimes it’s being poured into. And sometimes, it’s simply staying in the room long enough to see what unfolds. I also stepped out of my own comfort zone—gathering my mic and phone to ask women at these events: “What does bravery mean to you? And what’s your one brave thing for the week?” In this episode, I’ll share their answers, the lessons that shook me in the best way, and how this experience inspired me to launch something new: the Brave on Purpose Tiktok Live Mini Teaching Series, a 4-day deep dive into the ROOT Framework that leads right into the One Brave Thing Group Coaching Program. Insights from Woman Evolve on slowing down, faith, and listening bravely. Lessons from the Podcast Summit on using your voice and building resilience as a creator. Real women sharing their “one brave thing” stories. Why bravery isn’t always loud or public—it’s often quiet, personal, and deeply intentional. How to join me for the IG Live series and the OBT Coaching Program. 📅 August 18–21 — 4 days, 4 steps of the ROOT Framework: Reflect, Open, Overcome, Thrive. 📍 Watch live on Tiktok: tiktok.com/samanthaedu  Step into your brave with the One Brave Thing Group Coaching Program. As a podcast listener, you get early access at a special rate:  Join Here Join the OBT Coaching Program: Click here Follow for Tiktok Live Series: tiktok.com/samanthaedu Download the ROOT Reflection Guide — Click Here If this episode inspired you, share it with someone who’s ready to embrace their brave. And don’t forget to follow the Brown Heart Wellness Podcast so you never miss a moment of courage and community.

Hey y’all, welcome back to the Brown Heart Wellness Podcast. This week’s episode is tender, grounding, and exactly what we need to remind ourselves that healing doesn't always have to be loud or performative—it can be quiet, consistent, and found in the everyday. I’m sitting down with Ebony Fleming, mama of three, intuitive teacher, and creator of the Cook Like a Mother program. Her story is one of resilience, grace, and breaking free from survival mode—one nourishing choice at a time. From navigating childhood trauma to guiding other mothers toward healthier relationships with food and themselves, Ebony is proof that healing can be practical and powerful. We talk about: The soul-led creation of Cook Like a Mother Thriving instead of surviving in motherhood How food, community, and connection are at the heart of healing Everyday tools that help us break generational cycles ✨ Ready to step into your own journey of healing and reflection? Download the ROOT Framework Reflection Guide — it’s your gentle, soulful companion for making one brave choice at a time. 🧡 Connect with Ebony Fleming Website + Programs: https://stan.store/thriveempowered Instagram: @thrive.empowered LinkedIn: Ebony Fleming Email: [email protected] Her Cook Like a Mother program returns in August/September—join the waitlist now at the link above. 🧘🏽‍♀️ Brown Heart MomentThis week’s mindful moment invites you to reflect on how you nourish yourself, not just through food, but with breath, boundaries, and being present. If today’s episode touched your heart, share it with someone who needs to know that healing can happen in the carpool line, at the kitchen table, or in a single deep breath. 📩 And don’t forget to subscribe and join the One Brave Thing community.

🎧 In this episode: What happens when you’re not at the beginning, but definitely not at the end?This week, I’m joined by Jae Washington—creative strategist, digital curator, and truth-teller—as we talk about what it means to live in the messy middle. The in-between. The stretch. The space where clarity is forming, but confidence hasn’t fully caught up. This episode is a soft place to land if you’ve been wrestling with identity, creativity, or what it means to keep showing up while things are still unfolding. 🧠 This episode is for you if: What the messy middle looks and feels like in real life How to hold space for your process without rushing the outcome The gentle power of redefining success in seasons of transition Learning to trust your voice, even when it shakes a little You’re in-between chapters and feeling unsure what’s next You’ve been questioning how to show up online or in community You need a reminder that growth is still growth—even when it’s quiet Learn more about Jae Washington and her services at ⁠her website⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠. She is the community queen! Thank you again for sharing your heart with the Brown Heart community! 🤎 My Favorite Things This Week: Marsail Armless Office Chair — perfect for long recording days and deep convos LROSEY 2-Piece Blazer Set — because even the messy middle deserves a power look This season is about courage, even in the in-between. 💌 Join the One Brave Thing Challenge and Community:🧡 Sign up for the July challenge