The Introspective Diaries: Recent Episodes
Nana-Hasia Asankomah
Welcome to The Introspective Diaries where we discuss all things growth! From friendships, social dynamics, and my personal stories of growth tune in for insightful discussions with myself and my occasional guests!
I moved to Canada for three month doing research. I did not expect it to prompt me to do deeper inner work,
'Unmasking' as a neurodivergent can be daunting. Not only do we have to choose to ditch some social norms, but we also have to create our own path and lean into what makes us happy.
So we’ve all seen the overwhelming content on ‘femininity’ and ‘masculinity’ on our feeds. We are constantly bombarded with people telling us how we should act and what we should wear. From frilly dresses to not watching the news because it ‘dampens’ our femininity, many of us are tired!
In this episode of The Introspective Diaries Sumaya and I dissect the sudden surge in femininity and masculinity content. From desirability politics to the exclusive nature of the current rhetoric on femininity and masculinity.
In this episode of The Introspective Diaries, I delve into our experiences of being black, Muslim women. While these identities are not mutually exclusive, there are social complexities we face.
This episode discusses everything from texturism and colourism to fighting the ‘strong black woman’ narrative while navigating faith.
Lamide and I met while working for the same charity. After getting to speak to her at a dinner, I was impressed with her courage and boldness she has to stand up for what she cares about and to have her time respected. In this episode, we discuss what it means to be a 'change maker' from her perspective and the challenges that come with wanting to create meaningful change while navigating through obstacles.
TW: SA
In this episode, Jessie and I discuss how beauty standards and colourism affected us during our teenage years. We look at how the mental process of trying to conform to an image can be damaging to mental health and relationships.
Sarah Onifade and I met during my first term at LSE. It was clear we shared similar ideas on how difficult it can be to find community in a competitive place like LSE. From balancing life, our desires to be women of impact while navigating the idea of 'black excellence' this episode fleshes out some of the complexities women of colour may face at university,
After taking a break from my podcast, in this episode, I share my intentions behind starting it. I've mostly been known for my academic gifts and while this continues to benefit me, it came with a price.
In this episode, I share why I've been gone for a while and what I've learned after making the right decision.
In this episode, I dissect the issue of male validation. I share my experiences of how my insecurities led me to conform to the image of who a woman is and how I overcame this with faith. I also share why I believe this issue is so rampant by sharing my ideas on social capital and the weaponization of sexuality.
In this episode, I invited my friend and sister Sarah to talk about some of the tough lessons we've learned in our friendships. From navigating boundaries to being enablers we discuss some of the tricky aspects of building a sisterhood.
We've all known or have been that person who claims to be nonchalant and heartless. Although this can come from a place of hurt or trauma, whether you are doing this to hide your pain or to look cool it can be damaging. This is something I struggled with for a long time and thought I'd share my thoughts!
We have all seen the reels and images of people going on solo dates and taking bubble baths all in the name of self-love. Don't get me wrong - I too like to indulge in these things sometimes, but I believe self-love is more than social media makes it out to be.
Many of us have conflated knowing a lot about someone with friendship. This can impact the quality of our friendship and reduce our identity to one aspect of ourselves. I had to learn the hard way, but setting boundaries helped to recognise that my identity wasn't based on being the 'go to' friend
Being a hijabi at university can be tough! From sticking out like a sore thumb to trying to foster a community of good people it can be challenging to enjoy your academic and social journey whilst staying true to your boundaries.
In this episode, I explore a common struggle some hijabis contend with: not feeling attractive in the hiajb. I discuss if the hijab fits in the male gaze as well as my own journey deconstructing what society defines as beautiful.
From people thinking I got married to people moving away from me on the bus, in this episode, I talk about my experiences with microaggressions stemming from stereotypes as a hijabi and how I am navigating through them.
In this episode, I discuss my hijab journey and some of the struggles I've faced along the way. From striving for my inner self to align with my outward appearance to deconstructing the notion of everything a woman does being for the purpose of male validation, this episode shares many insights into my journey so far.
In this episode, I detail my accidental journey of introspection through journaling, how it's helped me and how it can help you. Going within doesn't require any special skill - just honesty with yourself, although this can be difficult at the start it gets much easier.
In this episode, I discuss the pivotal moments in my personal development journey, how self-help can be a double-edged sword, and clarify my long-term goals for The Introspective Diaries.
In this episode, I explore the intricacies of responsibility and accountability in our lives. It's not always easy to see and acknowledge where we have gone wrong, but when we do we put ourselves in the driver's seat liberating ourselves from living through other people's choices for us.
We all know that trying to become confident isn't always an easy journey. With society telling us to 'fake it til you make it' to navigating the complex reasons why we may not feel confident can be a truly difficult journey. In this episode, I share some of the insights I have learned along the way to also help you on this journey!
Hi everyone, in this episode, I talk about all things authenticity: fears, relationships, and what helped me on this journey. Stay tuned for more!
Welcome to The Introspective Diaries, I'm your host Nana-Hasia! In this episode, I ask myself questions I would ask someone I was getting to know so you can get to know me on a meaningful level. I share stories from my childhood, my role models, and what you can expect from me in coming episodes. Stay tuned!