🌸🌼⚖️ SEASONS AND BALANCE ⚖️🌼🌸

Heeey!

How did the second month of the year go for you? Did you get a Valentine? Do you even celebrate Valentine? If you’ve been part of the Podfriend Squad for a while, then you’ll be familiar with my mixed feelings on Hallmark Card Holidays.

For me, this was one of the years that V-Day wasn’t even mentioned in the house, with the exception of preparing cards for the entire class for my Grade 1 child. Sooo many cards. Kudos to the school for having a ‘no food or treat exchanges’ policy. Honestly, between Halloween and Valentine’s Day candy it’s usually a disaster.

Anyway, coming up soon is International Women’s Day and in some places it’s still equated with Mother’s Day. I’ll never forget receiving a single rose accompanied by the words “Happy Women’s Day, ma’am!” from a male staff member at a hotel in Mexico City. I was so stunned that the only thing I could do was laugh very hard when I reached my hotel room. So, this year’s theme is #InspireInclusion and Shades and Layers - where everyday is Women’s Day - will continue with the work of inclusion. Is International Women’s Day meaningful or important to you?

So, let’s move on to the strawberries in the lead image of this edition. They are there for several reasons. The first one being that we’ll be talking about balance in the latter half of the newsletter. The second is that I’m still tasting the juiciness of ‘Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of A Marriage’ by Jonny Steinberg… Sjoe, guys we need to have an IG Live or some Zoom call about this. Hit reply and say ‘Yes’ if you’d be interested. The third and final reason is that I’m longing for summer. Northern winters feel longer than the ones at home. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love the gloriously sunny skies in New England, but as a fellow South African recently pointed out, the winter sun doesn’t quite hit the same - the brightness fools you. You can’t truly feel the sun’s warmth. Its kiss barely grazes your skin……

Alrightie then, let’s get on with the business of this edition. We have:

-About Freedom Fleur our latest episode and its companion episode is From Maputo With Love on preserving traditional crafts and sustainable manufacturing processes.

-Balance and Seasons is an exploration of the illusive concept of ‘Work-Life Balance’

-And finally, what’s keeping my mojo going at the moment: What I’m Loving and Listening To.

But before we get there, please share this newsletter with your friends and if this newsletter was shared with you, please do as the button says 👇🏾. Thank you.

LATEST EPISODE: LUXURY WITH PURPOSE

This has to be one of my favorite episodes - just like all the others I’ve done before this one, of course, LOL. There is great energy and my guest, Kirstie Fleur Horton brought her entire self to the conversation. The Ghanaian-American multi-disciplinary artist and I discussed her sustainable luxury label, Freedom Fleur as well as its associated FF Social Clubs. These clubs are designed for women founders looking for like-minded peers to consult and spar with about the entrepreneurial life. We also discussed her “Soul Health” approach to teaching and healing, and as a tool for doing the internal work that will lead you to your own definition of success. Once again, a layered conversation that deserves more than one listen.

COMPANION LISTEN: “FROM MAPUTO WITH LOVE”

Mozambican artisans and Social Entrepreneurs, Wacy Zacarias and Djamilla De Sousa are the co-founders of the sustainable textile design brand Karingana Textiles. Their work under under this brand is the embodiment of “Handmade With Love”. They are also a real-life example of what sustainability looks like for African brands who are producing and marketing goods on the African continent. The luxurious textiles they make pay homage to and preserve local tradition and sustainable production methods. From using indigenous plant pigments for dyeing to culturally significant weaving techniques. This is one episode not to miss.

BALANCE AND SEASONS

One of the things I loved about living in Denmark (for 12 years or so) was the flexibility of the workplace. I could come in at a decently human hour, do some focused work, take a 20-minute lunch break, power through the afternoon and leave at 3-3:30pm to go and start the second shift at home. If necessary, I would work after the kids were happily in bed and still get to hang out with my other half and sleep at a decent hour. Work-life balance right?

Well, it felt right at the time and the situation provided an appropriate structure for someone with a young family. I could still have a professional life while raising a family in a place very far away from any kind of extended family support. However, even with this semi-comfortable arrangement, I opted out of office life because I’d hit a professional ceiling and wanted/needed to pursue a different path. But suffices to say that I had a pretty good deal there.