Let's Talk About It: Whatever "It" Is

Welcome to the last episode of the 2021! In this series so far, we have talked plenty about having courageous conversations with others. But what about having a courageous conversation with ourselves? As a new year approaches and we begin to reflect on the year that has passed, we find ourselves crafting new New Year resolutions and making changes in order to become the “best version of ourselves". What we may forget to ask is "do we know what version of ourselves we working on to begin with?" Join us as we talk about key aspects of a courageous conversation that is pointed inwards, our favourite holiday traditions (hot chocolate and cheese anyone?) and leave you with a challenge for the holiday season!

Welcome to episode two of this series: Frameworks for Courageous Conversations. We are joined by Lance Dixon - Equity Diversity Justice and Inclusion Consultant for the Calgary Catholic School District, a descendant of African American refugees who fled Jim Crow and settled in Africville, a descendant of Irish immigrants, a lover of storytelling, an educator, and so much more. Lance has spent years in equity education, teaching about and fostering courageous conversations. And this week, he walks us through Glen Singleton’s framework for courageous conversations, including: - setting a conversation compass - the four conversation position approaches - 6 conditions for courageous conversations. We also dive into a profound discussion on post modernism, relativism, truth, and sooo much more. This is a conversation that you need to listen to twice, take notes, and share with EVERYONE you know. Thank you Lance for taking the time to share your heart, and for being vulnerable with us. Enjoy the episode!

Welcome to our last series of the year! With the holiday season approaching and time with family and friends increases, we often have to navigate away from numerous conflict causing topics—politics, relationship status, lifestyle choices, and now healthcare, COVID-19 vaccines, and so much more. What if, rather than avoiding particular topics and pretending the undercurrent tensions in the room don't exist, we learned how to have healthy conversations about them? For the rest of 2021, we will be talking about what it looks like to initiate and participate in courageous conversations —conversations that are honouring of each person involved, come from a place of humility, address tensions, and handle discomfort with grace. This episode's topics include: - What keeps us from having courageous conversations? - Validating the person even if we disagree with the perspective - Creating brave space and using "I" statements Enjoy!

Welcome to the last episode of our series: Are You Happy? If you been following closely, you will know that this series has been focused on trying to answer the question Are You Happy, and in trying to answer that question, we (and our guests) have tried to first define what happiness is. Today, as we lead up to our final attempt to answer the question "Are you happy?" we first start wondering what it means to be #blessed. Are we truly happy, or are trying to be happy because we appear #blessed? As your co-hosts, we did our research and excitedly provide you with two perspectives for what being "blessed" means—one from the OG Greek and one from good ol' IG. Listen along to the concluding episode of this "happiness" quest and find out our own personal answers to the question "Are you happy?" Resources: Exploring My Strange Bible Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/exploring-my-strange-bible/id1271147429?i=1000412405073 Bible Hub Blessed Definition: https://biblehub.com/greek/3107.htm

Welcome to the sixth episode of season two and the third episode of our Are You Happy? Series. For this podcast, we are joined by Alex Akade, a long time friend of both of us. Alex is currently a Computer Science major, lover of stock market trading, chess, and a good thought provoking conversation. This is why we had him on to speak with us about happiness in in the midst of transition. So far, in this series, we have spent plenty of time talking about how we define happiness, but what happens when we go through major life changes? Our definitions change too. Alex speaks candidly about how he has come to a place of not letting others define happiness for him, of going back to his Nigerian roots in remembering the simplicity of joy, and the importance of keeping life pressures and responsibilities in perspective. Thank you Alex for hanging out with us on this episode! We are grateful for the wisdom that you shared.

Welcome Episode 2 of our Are You Happy series! First, we are joined by sisters Jesam and Nini Onun, who provide their unique perspectives in efforts to help us help us answer the question "as adults, have we overcomplicated the concept of happiness, or as kids was the concept of happiness oversimplified to us". Secondly, with Jesam, we explore questions around how social and cultural determinants can impact peoples' definitions of happiness. Do we have the ability to define happiness for others? How do understandings of happiness differ between cultures? Join us for a whirlwind conversation, sprinkled with a little sociology, psychology, and a lot of good thoughts for reflection. Disclaimer: we do touch on topics that can be triggering, such as substance use disorder between 27:48 -28:30.

Welcome to our newest series: Are You Happy? So much of North American culture is focused on attaining happiness. But, when we really sit down to ask ourselves what it means to be happy, we can quickly find ourselves with more questions than answers. In this first episode, Paula and Olejuru wonder about happiness, its definition, our childhood understandings of it, and whether it relates to concepts of joy, contentment, purpose, and blessing. Are you happy? Join us in this series as we explore this question and invite everyone to attempt to answer it for themselves.

In this week’s episode, Olejuru and Paula reflect on a key question proposed by our guest from Episode 2: “If everything you have is taken away, so to speak, then who are you as an individual?" Too often, identity seems to be based upon the things we are doing and what we have. When it feels like we are not doing enough compared to others, we can feel a sense of loss or inadequacy. How, then, do we make sure our identity does not become rooted in the approval of other people? What happens when we we evaluate the labels we accept for ourselves and freely step into the space outside of that box? Enjoy this special episode on identity as we conclude our Rise and Grind series!

In this week’s Rise and Grind conversation, we are joined by guest Daniel Lawrance-Lopez. Daniel is a thriving entrepreneur, one with a mission to shift how people think about their money. Together, we explore questions like: This episode is both notable and quotable as Daniel shares his perspectives on what drives “rise and grind” culture, and what truths he has learned over the years about mentorship, identity, legacy, and self worth. Feel free to connect with Daniel on Facebook, Tiktok, and Instagram @ Daniel Lawrance-Lopez

WELCOME TO SEASON 2. Enjoy the very special musical ensemble at the beginning of this episode. Just for you, Olejuru busts a rhyme and Paula keeps the beat as they share the essence of this month's series in a very... creative way. To introduce this new podcast season and their new seasons of life, Paula and Olejuru take time to check in with each other. They talk about getting used to new routines, admitting that, in the midst of change and busyness, the work “grind” can actually be quite lonely. Why is it possible that we are surrounded by people and support and yet still feel isolated? How do we define and find balance in the midst of a life that feels too full? Is self-care selfish? If these thoughts or questions are familiar to you, you're in the right place. This episode will definitely worth your time. Rise and Grind Let’s Talk About It Podders. It's season 2 and we’re in for a whole new adventure!

Have you ever had a situation where you knew that a simple change in method would fix the problem, but you’re so used to coping with the things that are broken that you no longer have the urgency to fix them? Kitchen sinks? Doors that don’t close? Computer keys? Well, this in this week’s episode Olejuru and Paula talk about dysfunction and comfort, and the comfort in dysfunction. Together they talk through a series of stories about of the ease of sitting in unhelpful cycles, the fear of fixing our problems, the importance of understanding the balance between contentment and improvement, and the power of letting go in order to find rest.

The past few weeks we have been talking about the Five Pressures of Process but in today’s episode, we wanted to talk about what happens when plans change? Imagine you’ve stayed the course, you’ve cultivated patience, learned to navigate the pressure of people and the need to perform, figured out your priorities and stuck to them, found ways to notice and be happy with your progress, and made decisions about what you’re willing to sacrifice. But now, it looks like all your plans have to change. Where you thought you were going is no longer where you see that you need to go. Listen along as Janelle, Arielle and Gabrielle from the Bloom and Grow podcast join us to talk about what happens when plans change, how God has taught them about surrender, dealing with pride, and remembering that nothing is wasted. Connect with Janelle, Arielle and Gabrielle: On Instagram @thebloomandgrowpodcast Email: thebloomandgrowpodcast@gmail.com

“Is this venture worth pushing through in this moment?” “What is the price of this pursuit?” “If I give up now, what am I losing? What am I gaining?” Sometimes in life we have to pay the price of sacrificing the temporary happiness of one moment to gain the long term satisfaction of reaching a goal. In today’s episode, we talk about the cost of working through our processes, the importance of evaluating pressure as bone breaking or diamond making, and assessing when to give up our pursuit. With this episode, we conclude our Process Series. We hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have! If this series has impacted you in any way, we’d love to know about it! Feel free to reach out to us. We’ll be sure to respond!

In today’s episode we are joined by Jordan Illsley, host of the Positive Punch podcast! Through his podcast Jordan helps others to have a more positive outlook at life and learn how to influence those around them too . We sat down with Jordan in this third episode of our series to continue our conversation regarding "process". During our time with him, we discussed the importance of surrounding yourself not only with people who will accept you as you are, but who will also challenge you to actualize your dreams and become the best version of yourself. We also talked about the process and significance of embracing your uniqueness, working through failure, fixing your focus, and the fundamentals of practicing gratitude while in the midst of what feels like delay. Towards, the end of our conversation Jordan even proposes a possible sixth Pressure of Process. Listen closely to hear what he suggests! Books Jordan mentions in the episode: Deep Work by Cal Newport Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz Get in contact with Jordan on Instagram: @jordan_illsley17 Check out the Positive Punch Podcast: @thepositivepunchpage

In today’s episode, Gift Ogunwale, host of the Breathe Through podcast joined us for our second conversation on process. Her vision for her platform is to help navigate each season of life by learning to pause and ask, “what’s in this season for me?" In our discussion with her, we covered topics like what it means to “show up for yourself”, the process of self discovery, and recognizing “small” impacts as valuable impacts. We also asked Gift which of the Five Pressures of Process (Patience, Performance/People, Priority, Progress, and Price) resonates most deeply with her, and talked more specifically about how they show up in our lives and what we do to navigate them. Get in contact with Gift on Instagram @giftee Check out the Breathe Through podcast: @breathethrough_podcast

Today, Olejuru and Paula begin a new series on "Process". That's right—they're talking about waiting, transition, and preparation for the always anticipated "next thing". In this first episode, Olejuru and Paula share insights on what they have called "The Five Pressures of Process": -Patience -Performance/People -Priority -Progress -Price Together they reflect the importance of treating the processes of life as a fundamental part of our intended destinations, rather than something to simply get through on the way to where we actually want to go. And of course, they tell stories of how they have dealt with the messiness of their own in-between moments.

Join guest Reverend Tim Wood, Paula and Olejuru in the last episode of their Faith(s)? series. Their conversation is rich with questions and reflections on living life in the “now”; narratives in the Church that need to be interrogated; the importance of doing community well, noticing and accepting our brokenness; and the need for humility, authenticity, and truth.

“Am I even good enough for that?” “What do I do now?” “How do I let go of what I thought would be without any indication of what actually will be?” “Where. Are. You. God?” In this episode of the “Faith(s)?” series, Paula and Olejuru get REAL and dive into the deep end about some of the (many) challenges they have faced on their faith journey. Listen in as Paula tells her stories of navigating fear and disappointment and recognizing the little Ws (wins) in the midst of big Ls (losses). Olejuru shares about her feelings of inadequacy and despair, even cracking open her journal to read and reflect on some of her entries. Paula and Olejuru share their personal experiences from their Christian perspectives, but they know that not everyone listening has a the same faith system, or even ascribes to any at all. Their hope for this episode is that, wherever you are on the spectrum, you can hear something in the topics discussed that resonate with you and provide you with light, encouragement, and something to think about for later.

Today Paula and Olejuru speak with best friends Alaukwu Anozie and Wasif Ali. They come from different countries, faith backgrounds, and cultural upbringings, and over the years of their friendship, they have learned how to support each other in their individual quests for knowledge and understanding. They tell us about how they have come to resolve conflict, prune their friendship circles, and contribute to each other’s growth despite their personal differences. Thank you Wasif and Alaukwu for joining us in this episode on faith and friendship!

It is no secret that here at Let’s Talk About It: Whatever It Is, our goal is to foster safe spaces for talking about the “its” that, often, no one wants to talk about. This April, hosts Olejuru and Paula and each of their guests will be delving into the topic of faith/religion as it relates to things like questioning, friendship, and conflict. In this first episode of our Faith(s)? series, Paula and Olejuru reflect on the ups and downs of their individual faith journeys, the ways their friendship has presented an open invitation to ask difficult questions regarding faith/religion, and how they have helped each other to grow and shift in their understandings of and relationship with God.