With an ever-growing list of to-dos, responsibilities that have no chill, and personal obligations, it’s no wonder so many of us are looking for ways to cultivate calm in our daily lives. That goes double for me. In the pursuit of inner work and inner peace, I have found myself gravitating to podcasts that exude self-improvement, self-development, and most importantly, self-care. Listening to podcasts has become a daily ritual and instantly makes me feel as though I am actively pouring into my own cup.
If you are looking for podcasts to help you on your healing journey, look no further. Keep scrolling for podcasts about healing by Black people that absolutely need to be in your rotation.
1.Sensual Self with Ev’Yan Whitney
Sensual Self
Previously titled "The Sexually Liberated Woman," Ev’Yan Whitney’s beloved podcast has since evolved to make space for their new identity and is now called Sensual Self with Ev'Yan Whitney. As a nonbinary sexuality doula, Ev’Yan prides themselves with helping all people to thrive in the message that sensuality is an innate part of their being. You just have to dare to put in the work for self-pleasure and your self-relationship. One of the cornerstones of their work is the question, “What do I need in this moment in order to feel good?” It’s a question of self-reflection we could all afford to ask ourselves a little more.
Start here:“47. Pleasure-Centered and Unfuckwithable”
2.Black Girls Heal
Host Shena Lashey acts as the trauma-whisperer in her Black Girls Heal podcast, addressing topics like self-worth issues, healthy and unhealthy attachments, and intimacy. Her goal is to give Black women the tools they need to seek and thrive in connections that truly serve them. She does this by providing women with the tools they need to understand what they are worthy of and what is beneath them.
Start here:“93. Healing Your Mother Wound”
3.Balanced Black Girl
Balanced Black Girl
For a weekly dose of wellness, this one is a tried-and-true personal favorite. Hosted by Les, Balanced Black Girl is a podcast centered on approachable health, self-care, self-improvement, and holistic—sometimes imperfect—wellness. A force on her own, she also invites guests from time to time who are industry experts on various topics rooted in Black self-care and Black wellness. Through her podcast, Les makes it clear that wellness can look different to different people, but we can live well and thrive all the same.
Start here:“68. Setting Boundaries and Protecting Your Energy”
4.Black Girl Burn Out
Licensed therapist Kelly Bonner is the host of Black Girl Burn Out, a podcast dedicated to helping Black women navigate the stress of day-to-day life. Feeling overworked and undervalued is something many Black women experience in life, in work, and in love. Years of internalizing being everything to everyone can do that to you. Episodes either focus on a pain point or on something to either “opt into” or “opt out of” that can help usher in a more healed version of yourself. Black Girl Burn Out provides a 15-minute reset of how to heal from the various forms of burnout we can encounter.
Start here: “Opt-Into Living A Full Life”
5.The Self-Love Fix
The Self-Love Fix
The Self-Love Fix is a popular podcast catering to women of color and helping them tap into their highest selves. Through a combination of expert guests and personal experiences, host Beatrice Kamau offers a relatable and resonating take on all things personal development, self-love, self-care, and self-worth. Be it mental health, relationships, friendship, astrology, worthiness, or self-doubt, Beatrice offers a weekly dose of insight that is absolutely what the doctor ordered.
Start here: “72. Embodying Your Worth”
6.Black Girl Existing
Black Girl Existing is a space where Black women can come to heal themselves. The mission is clear: to remind Black women of their power in a world that seeks to shrink them and make them feel like they are not enough. BGE is a podcast that fuels its listeners mentally, spiritually, and emotionally while ensuring that they instill them with a framework for healthy self-care.
7.Manifest Daily
Manifest Daily
A spiritual and lifestyle podcast, Manifest Daily is hosted by content creator Dheandra Nicolette. In it, Dheandra talks about affirmation, self-love, self-care, and of course manifestation. As with other podcasts mentioned on this list, I love Dheandra’s personal takes on different pain points she has encountered in her growth journey, how discipline plays a role in her relationship with her higher self, and the different manifestation techniques she has tried and found success in. Her podcast is most definitely a must-listen.
Start here: “S7 Ep145: IMPOSTER WHO // Addressing Imposter Syndrome In Your Life + Career”
8.Self Care and Chill With Maui
The girlfriend in your head that you didn’t know you needed, the Self Care and Chill With Maui podcast is all about the kiki while revealing to you the real. Always a breath of fresh air, Amirah Morris’ candid talks about love, sex, and self-love offer a more down-to-earth approach to healing conversations. From co-parenting dialogue with her former partner to reminders to listeners that they are indeed the table, there is an episode for everyone.
Start here:“Loving Yourself Is Boring EP:37”
9.Self Care IRL
Self Care IRL
If self-care was a person, it would be best-selling author and blogger Ty Alexander, the host of the popular podcast, Self Care IRL. In each episode, Ty blesses listeners with strategies that have helped her evolve into a better person and the wellness gems she has collected along the way. Despite the cards that life may have dealt you, there is power in knowing that you are ultimately the architect of your world. Ty provides ways to cope and coexist with trauma, circumstances, and grief while laying down the building blocks of living your best life as you see fit.
Start here:“8. Listen to This When Life Gets Heavy”
10.Brown Girl Self-Care
How could you not tune into a podcast hosted by a self-proclaimed “Self-Care Pusher”? I’ll wait. Through her work with Brown Girl Self-Care, Bre uses her experiences to be a guiding light for listeners who are on their own self-care journeys to a place of healing and wholeness. The Cali native is all about helping you elevate physically, spiritually, and emotionally and equips you with the health and wellness tools to do so. Self-care is a must—not an option—and she wants to empower her listeners to know that, too.
Start here:“You Don’t Owe Anyone Your Essence 24/7/365”
Featured image by Getty Images
In a xoNecoleexclusive, the iconic actress opens up about embracing this season of her life, new projects, and overall being a “bad motherfucker.” Gabrielle reveals that she was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with perimenopause and is still going through it at 51 years old. Mayo Clinic says perimenopause “refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years.”
“I haven't crossed over the next phase just yet, but I think part of it is when you hear any form of menopause, you automatically think of your mother or grandmother. It feels like an old-person thing, but for me, I was 37 and like not understanding what that really meant for me. And I don't think we focus so much on the word menopause without understanding that perimenopause is just the time before menopause,” she tells us.
Gabrielle Union
Photo by Brian Thomas
"But you can experience a lot of the same things during that period that people talk about, that they experienced during menopause. So you could get a hot flash, you could get the weight gain, the hair loss, depression, anxiety, like all of it, mental health challenges, all of that can come, you know, at any stage of the menopausal journey and like for me, I've been in perimenopause like 13, 14 years. When you know, most doctors are like, ‘Oh, but it's usually about ten years, and I'm like, ‘Uhh, I’m still going (laughs).’”
Conversations about perimenopause, fibroids, and all the things that are associated with women’s bodies have often been considered taboo and thus not discussed publicly. However, times are changing, and thanks to the Gabrielle’s and the Tia Mowry’s, more women are having an authentic discourse about women’s health. These open discussions lead to the creation of more safe spaces and support for one another.
“I want to be in community with folks. I don't ever want to feel like I'm on an island about anything. So, if I can help create community where we are lacking, I want to be a part of that,” she says. “So, it's like there's no harm in talking about it. You know what I mean? Like, I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change. I'm just getting better and stronger and more intelligent, more wise, more patient, more compassionate, more empathetic. All of that is very, very welcomed, and none of it should be scary.”
The Being Mary Jane star hasn’t been shy about her stance on therapy. If you don’t know, here’s a hint: she’s all for it, and she encourages others to try it as well. She likens therapy to dating by suggesting that you keep looking for the right therapist to match your needs. Two other essential keys to her growth are radical transparency and radical acceptance (though she admits she is still working on the latter).
"I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change."
Gabrielle Union and Kaavia Union-Wade
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
“I hope that a.) you recognize that you're not alone. Seek out help and know that it's okay to be honest about what the hell is happening in your life. That's the only way that you know you can get help, and that's also the only other way that people know that you are in need if there's something going on,” she says, “because we have all these big, very wild, high expectations of people, but if they don't know what they're actually dealing with, they're always going to be failing, and you will always be disappointed. So how about just tell the truth, be transparent, and let people know where you are. So they can be of service, they can be compassionate.”
Gabrielle’s transparency is what makes her so relatable, and has so many people root for her. Whether through her TV and film projects, her memoirs, or her social media, the actress has a knack for making you feel like she’s your homegirl. Scrolling through her Instagram, you see the special moments with her family, exciting new business ventures, and jaw-dropping fashion moments. Throughout her life and career, we’ve seen her evolve in a multitude of ways. From producing films to starting a haircare line to marriage and motherhood, her journey is a story of courage and triumph. And right now, in this season, she’s asking, “What’s next?”
“This is a season of discovery and change. In a billion ways,” says the NAACP Image Award winner. “The notion of like, ‘Oh, so and so changed. They got brand new.’ I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
"I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
She continues, “So I'm just trying to figure out what's next. You know what I mean? I'm jumping into what's next. I'm excited going into what's next and new. I'm just sort of embracing all of what life has to offer.”
Look out for Gabrielle in the upcoming indie film Riff Raff, which is a crime comedy starring her and Jennifer Coolidge, and she will also produce The Idea of You, which stars Anne Hathaway.
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Feature image by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images
