Beyond a Thought: Recent Episodes
Lynnette Mambwe & Zi Boafo
A podcast dedicated to discussing real and pertinent issues that you may only be thinking about.
As Christians there are some topics and conversations that we choose to only talk about on a surface level basis due to fear or anxiety of being judged within our Christian circles. This podcast is a space dedicated to digging deeper into some of such topics and issues and having a real, open and honest dialogues.
Has it already been 4 years? The 2020 Pandemic took us for a WILD ride. In today's episode we take a look back and reflect a bit on some of the things that happened, how it made us feel and in hindsight, if we would have done anything different (if anything) and also what we've learned.
Secondary infertility is defined as the inability to conceive or carry a baby to term after previously giving birth. Our guest Jacendy went through just that. After having no issues with having her first baby, she found out at the time trying for a second that the story was not the same here causing her a lot of emotional and mental stress. Listen to her story and the shear courage, faith and perseverance of her and her family.
Marriage is no walk in the park! It takes real work to build and keep the foundation. In this episode, we explore some of the realities that we don’t often hear.
Are you like us and are in intercultural relationships or might be considering it? This episode is especially for you. We discuss some things we have found discovered being in intercultural relationships. Of course we did not exhaust the list of things to talk about in this context so we’re interested to hear from you too. What are your thoughts? What are some other things to consider?
Hide your kids for this one 🫣👀•Have you really taken the time to really consider why one would choice to abstain from sex before marriage. Have you though of why it may be important thing to consider. We talk a lot about the pros that may come with abstinence but are there any pros? Especially in the Christian circles, we find that there are a lot of incomplete conversations and rhetorics around the topic of sex in general. In this episode, we try to explore some of the things we should perhaps consider when having these conversations. What are your thoughts? is there anything we missed?Let us know in the comments.
Have you ever taken the time to assess your friendships? This is a conversation we hope will be a conversation starter not only with yourselves but also your friends.
There seems to be this unspoken rule that once one is married, the next natural thing to do is to have kids. But is that always the truth? Have you thought of the reasons you may or may not have children or is it just the natural thing to do for you?
This is the final episode of our Parenting Series. We’re having a discussion about how some things look for us now that we are parents ourselves.
In this one, we tackling the topic of our fathers and reflecting on the impacts they had on our lives and girls and even now as women. We understand that some of these things are not easy to talk about but we hope our conversation will get you started in your own conversations perhaps with your own fathers.
This is the first part of a series where we are talking about how our upbringing has brought us where we are now and has shaped us into the women we are today. We begin with our mothers. As always, we hope this starts up conversations.
As always, we go deep! We’re talking about some of the things that we have been learning in the journey of life lately. We hope that this will be a conversation starter for you and it will give you the boldness to have authentic and real conversations not only with yourself but with those around you. •Enjoy! And please let us know what you think.
We’ve gone for a while! But we’re back now. This episode gets into a bit of the details why we were gone for so long as well as some of the things to look forward to in the coming weeks. Hope you’re all as excited as we are.
Make sure your kids are not around for this one. lol
Depending on the stage of your relationship, sex can be very different. In this episode, we talk about sex before, during and after pregnancy. These are based on our experience alone (as women) and we do understand that the experience may be different from person to person.
Sex is not a topic that we find is talked about enough and we hope that this episode opens a can of worms for you to start having real conversations that matter.
We absolutely loved this episode. We have an interesting conversation about where we got the narratives that has shaped the way we think about our bodies and how we are working to change shift parts of that narrative for those coming after us.
These past almost two years have been very interesting to say the very least. It has brought out the so many emotion in all of us. A lot has been felt but as well, a lot has been said.
On today's episode, we are having conversation about some of the things we have heard since the beginning of this pandemic; many coming out of the Christian community.
As always, these are our own opinions but we hope it will get your minds going and gets you thinking and having your own conversations.
Enjoy!
We're Baaaaccckkk!!!
What can we say accept it was a great break and we are happy to be back. We are excited to get back into the swing of things and continue having some exciting conversations.
This is an intro episode into Season 3. A short one to let you know what we have been up to over the last few months as well as a bit of what to expect this season.
Enjoy!
Last week we had a conversation with Andrea about the tragic events that have been surfacing here in Canada.
This week, we thought we might take a bit of a step back and try to put some context to that conversation.
In this Episode, we chat with someone from the from the Indigenous community to talk about some of the recent and ongoing challenges facing the Indigenous community here in Canada. This conversation issue from exhaustive. It’s not even the tip of the iceberg.
In this episode, among other things,we have a conversation about the different dynamics of our Christian walk now that we have children and how it looks now in comparison with when we were single. It was a very important conversation for us and we hope that it will impact you in the same way it did us.
In this episode, we have a really great conversation about Privacy vs. Secrecy mainly in the context of relationships. To be honest, we went in the conversation with somethings in mind but the conversation turned out to be more dynamic than we anticipated. We had so many questions and thoughts. • Let us know below what are your thoughts on Privacy vs. Secrecy.
About year ago, we did a series on Marriage which was so insightful for us. On this episode, we thought we might do some reflection and chat a bit about what we’ve learned, what we are learning and perhaps some new challenges we’re still overcoming. We wanted this episode to be a bit on the light side so we also had some good laughs as always.
Sheena is back on Beyond a Thought and is getting into the detail with us about Real Estate. She gives us some really great tips on how you can make your money work for you in the Real Estate industry.
This a conversation you don't want to miss.
We had a great conversation with Stella, a financial advisor who took us through some of the different vehicles that is out there to get your money matters in order. She gives some great tips and simplifies some of the usually confusing financial jargon for us.
We’re back! and we’re continuing our Money Series and focusing on budgeting this week. In this episode we talk about the basics of budgeting but mainly as it relates to our respective homes and relationships because that is the context we both find ourselves. However, budgeting is necessary no matter what stage of life you find yourself. Take a listen...we’re sure you’ll find a lot of value no matter what stage of life you are at.
We’ll be talking money $$$ for next episodes. Wooo. We’ve found that it’s one of the areas that is kinda hard to readily talk about especially in the black community.
This episode we believe sets the stage for some of the upcoming episodes we are going to be having about budgeting, saving, home purchasing (especially in the current climate) etc. We will be having some guests join us to elaborate more on these areas so stay tuned. So much to talk about.
Let us know if you have any specific questions.
In this episode, Zi takes us through some of the ways her family and her upbringing has shaped who she is and her outlook on life.
The many nuances of family dynamics is never easy to talk about. Needless to say that these last two episodes have been hard!!! It has taken us a lot to talk about our family dynamics and how they have shaped our lives. That’s said, we really hope that these episodes help get you to a point where you can have a real conversation about your own family dynamics and how they have shaped your lives.
We have started a new Series on the Podcast and it is a HEAVY one.
In this episode, Lynnette recounts some of the areas of her family and upbringing that have shaped who she is and her outlook on somethings.
Some of the information shared here are quite personal and we appreciate her vulnerability and honesty in sharing with us.As you listen, please extend grace. It is never easy to share some of the most personal parts of your life so we ask that as you listen, please extend grace.
Hey y'all. Big News ZI IS BACK!!!💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽. So happy to have her back. We missed her. In this episode we take some time to reflect on the past few weeks, we chat about the past few episodes and also about Zi’s new journey as a mom of 3 whole children.
Last but not the least for our Girl Boss Series, we have Victoria Simba!
Victoria Simba is a creative at the core. She is the creator and owner of a Faith based streetwear brand called Victorious.caps and also the owner of Victoriousmoments Photography.
She honestly makes starting a business look so easy but on this episode, she takes us through her journey, what she’s learned along the way and also gives some great tips for anyone who is thinking of starting their own business.
Excited to share this episode with y’all.
This week we are joined by Sheena Mawugbe as she takes us through her journey to and as an independent Realtor. • Sheena is an Ottawa based Realtor who has so much to share about her journey. With real estate industry sometimes so glamorized on TV but Sheena goes deep into some of the things that we don’t normally think about when it comes to real estate like the importance of finding a good agent, the things you need to consider before and when buying a home etc. She also discusses the realities of being an independent Realtor and trust...there is much more than meets the eye. • Check out her page @sheenamawugbe you will not be disappointed. If you’re thinking about purchasing/selling a home, she your girl aaannnd...she knows her stuff!!!
Some of you may remember Brenda from one of our previous episodes on Motherhood. She is such a gem with a wealth of all-round knowledge when it comes to not only motherhood but career as well.
She is a wife, Mama of 3, a PHD, a public servant and has recently started on the journey of entrepreneurship. She is very passionate about turning your vision into something concrete and tangible. That’s why she has recently launched her first ever course called “vision to action”. Hear more about it this Saturday as we have a conversation with her about what it’s all about.
If you’re not already, go follow her @careerslaymama
We have a number of amazing women around us and within our circle here in Ottawa that are doing extraordinary things in their businesses . In this Series, we wanted to take the opportunity to speak to some of them and get to know their story of how it started, the good, the challenges and the whole scoop. On this episode, we are speaking to Fatuma_Kou (a.k.a Korlu) who takes us through her journey as an artist.
It is still Black History Month and we thought it would be appropriate to talk about the realities of anti-black racism and being Christian. We hope it will be a conversation starter to start having some real discussions.
In this episode we have a conversation about insecurities; where they come from, the struggle and how we deal with them. We hope this episode is a conversation starter and that it will push you beyond just thinking about these crucial topics to having real and honest conversations about them.
This week we're continuing our conversation on toxic traits. In our last episode, we talked about toxic behaviours as it relates specifically to us. This week, we are focusing on toxic relationships (so us and other people). It was such a great conversation and we are excited to share.
Hey Everyone!!! We’ve starters a new series that is focused on conversations around Toxic Behaviours, insecurities and stereotypes (all those topics that are sorta taboo especially in black,Christian communities).
This week we are starting off by taking a stab at discussing toxic traits (mainly focused on ourselves in this one) and how it may look. We understand how packed this kind of conversation can be so truly, an hour can never do it justice.
Let's have a conversation about this. We welcome all your thoughts, questions and inputs.
Beyond a Thought Podcast is baaaaccckkkk with another great season. Season 2 will be jam-packed with some great conversations and we are so looking forward to it and we hope you are here for all of it!!! In this episode, we share a bit about what to expect this season and we also have a small announcement to make. Have a listen.
This year has been nothing shy of extraordinary but it has also brought about some good.
We started this podcast as an outlet to discuss real issues that are often difficult to talk about. It has been an amazing journey that has impacted us so much. In this episode, we talk about this year and the overall impact it has had on us. The Season 1 of Beyond a Thought has been great and we look forward to subsequent seasons. Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
If you are not already part of the Beyond a Thought family, consider joining us at Beyondathought20.com
Also follow us on the social: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @beyondathought20
Beyond a Thought Podcast is 7 months strong!!!🎉🎉🎉 we’re so grateful that you’ve stuck with us throughout this journey of discovery with us. • As we gear up to wrap up Season 1 , we take some time to reflect on some of the discussions we’ve had on this platform. Some have been fun and made us laugh so hard and some have been so so sobering that it left us speechless. • All in all, we thank God for the opportunity to have some of these real conversations and we thank you for listening and giving us your input.
Here in Canada, many of us are privileged the opportunity to have a year or even more maternity/parental leave. Though is may seem to many like a year or so long of vacation, it is far from it. • Lynnette just returned to work from her first ever maternity leave and in this episode, we will be having a discussion on what it was like for her. What she learned , what she wished she knew and unraveling some of the misconceptions about Maternity leave.
Around the same time every year Christians seem to have the same discussion and debate about the same topic. Halloween. There are so many questions we have around the dos and don’ts of Halloween especially seeing as it relates to our children. In this episode, we explore some of the popular contentions in some Christian circles.
Although things seem to have simmered down in terms of the intensity we saw a few weeks ago, Nigerians (especially the youth) are still quite determined in the plight to see real change in Nigeria. They are tired of lip service that has all but brought about more and more corruption. • The #endsars movement has brought to the limelight, the blaring need tor change and reform in different areas of Nigerian politics. •
endsars protests were held not only in Nigeria but all around the world. In this episode, we speak to a Nigerian youth here in Canada to hear her take on the movement from the perspective of a Nigerian in the diaspora. She has a lot to say y’all!
• If you’re reading this thinking, what is #endsars , have a listen to this episode.
This week were wrapping up our Christian Walk Series with a discussion on being a Christian in the workplace. We got this suggestion by one of you and we thought it would be great to cap off our series with this discussion. • Especially in our current time, its geharder and harder to proclaim our Christianity and stand for God. One of the places it's most difficult is the workplace because of all the boundaries that have been put in place to prevent sharing ones faith. But there is always a way. • In this episode, we address the challenges that sometimes exist bit also talk about some of the ways you can still share Christ even in places like the workplace.
Part 2. of Spritual Manipulation goes a little further in the discussion to talk about how to deal with spiritual manipulation when you notice it arising.
Disclaimer: Before we say anything, we do not want anyone to think that this episode is a bashing frenzy against Pastors and church leaders. We also are* leaders at our respective churches so as we think through and speak to this topic, we also speak to ourselves. Please listen to the episode first and let's chat. • Church leaders, we believe do their best to lead us in the ways of God. However, on a basic level, we believe the mark is missed if/when the leader bases his/her leadership on themselves and anything other than God. • This topic is one that is packed and has so many layers and nuances so we would love to hear from you. This week we're talking to Teresa Agyemang to unpack some of this topic.
We've mentioned on our episodes many times that we are unapologetically Christian. This episode talks about what that means, a bit about how we became Christians and some of the challenges we face in the walk.
This weeks episode is For Adults Only. Rated PG. This week we are being really candid and quite explicit and talking about the realities of sex from our perspective Some of the things we are discussing, you will/may not hear anywhere else. Not even in marriage counseling.
We're talking about "the Sex" in Zi's words. Lol • On this episode, we are discussing our general introduction to the subject of sex and how that has affected the way we understand (or lack thereof) it.
We have another great episode for you guys. Our last episode (for now) for the sisterhood series. In this week's episode, we're addressing a topic we got about dating in the 21st century. Specifically...how to stop "chasing" men and allow them to come to you. • The disclaimer is that we do not know everything there is to know about relationships and as well, since we're both not in the dating scene any longer, we may not be able to give specifics. However, in our opinion there some things that never change. So we share our general onsights on dating with purpose especially now.
In our next episode, we are having a conversation with our Sister-friends about our sisterhood journey and how it has evolved over time. We've been through some major events in the course of our friendships (still are). We talk about this and more in this episode. We're excited for you to hear it.
We are beginning a Sisterhood Series where we will be discussing some of the many nuances that exists in sisterhood and how it looks at specific moments in time. We want to unravel the term and look at the different aspects of what may be unspoken truths (or lies) when it comes to the term sisterhood. Especially in the current era we live in.
This week we are having a sensitive but very important discussion on the podcast. We are talking about infertility with one of our very good friends who has herself gone through the ups and downs of dealing with fertility issues. • Infertility and everything that comes with it is a reality for many women (and men) that we don't often talk about at all. ESPECIALLY in the church. • People are going through things in silence that you don't know. It's so tempting (and I know we have been culprits ourselves) to ask a woman right after the minute that say "I do", "when are you guys having a baby?". But this week's discussion really shed light on the fact that you don't ever know what anyone is really going through and how that question may make them feel
On our first episode of this series, we give you some insight into our parenting journey; the, joys, the good, challenging, some of our anxieties etc. Hope you enjoy it and that it sparks some great conversations.
On this episode we have Dr. Brenda Dogbey, the creator and brilliant mind behind new awesome blog careerslaymama joining us. We have a quite candid and open conversation about the balancing act of motherhood. Brenda is a career mom with 3 kids; a 7 year old and 4 year old twins (boy and girl). You do not wanna miss this conversation. So much truth and lots of laughs. Follow Brenda @careerslaymama on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. You will not be disappointed. Her blog is so inspiring. We are blessed to call her friend.
Our Parenthood Series continues and it has been amazing. We're learning so much. • • We couldnt do a Parenthood Series without having a Fatherhood episode. We believe Fatherhood is such a huge part of parenting that is so often not given the platform that it is due. • • In our next episode, we have one of our good friends @chris.e.evelyn opin us to discuss the very important role that fathers play as parents. • • Have you ever wondered how post-partum depression affects fathers? Mommy guilt is a real thing but have you ever wondered if fathers have daddy guilt? Chris sheds some light on some of these for us. • • There was definitely perspectives that we didn't consider when it came to fatherhood until this episode. We are so excited for you to hear them. We ofcourse had some good laughs too cuz why not.
The episodes on our Mental Health Series have really thought us a lot. Especially during this ultra heightened time that we find ourselves, struck by an unexpected pandemic coupled with a worldwide realization of racial injustice, to say that it has been A LOT is a complete understatement. • • On our upcoming episode, we try our best to sum up our thoughts as best as we can . • • Mental health is such a broad topic that there is obviously so much we did not touch on but we believe that especially now that we are all dealing with everything going on in such different ways, it is important for us to be mindful of our mental health and make sure that aspect of our lives is as healthy as bab be. • • We have been taking intentional steps to prioritize self care and our mental health. Even if it's simply unplugging from social media for a while . • • What have you guys been doing to prioritize your mental health?
This week on our episode we are joined by another guest speaker Theo Adjei to talk about mental health. We have a very organic conversation about mental health in the black community, the importance of pausing and self care. Theophilus Adjei MSW, RSW is an Addictions and Concurrent Disorders Counsellor at the Toronto Harbour Light Ministries: Residential Treatment Program.
Theo is a highly motivated and resourceful young social worker with several years of field experience in the social service sector and community health sector. He possess a wealth of knowledge in client service provision and has assisted many clients and their families in crisis situations. His overall goal when working with clients is to promote their well-being through effective assessment, liaison, crisis intervention, counselling, and advocacy.
Recent masters degree graduate from the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and a registered social worker, he utilizes a solution-focused clinical and a community-based practice model, offering both therapeutic counselling support and effective case management support to children, youth, adults, seniors and families of diverse backgrounds.
He practices with a harm reduction, anti-oppressive and strength-based approach that is culturally sensitive and trauma-informed.
In this episode, we talk to our friend and sister in the Christian faith Mary Wanjohi as she highlights for us some of the challenges she's encountered living with a mental illness as a Christian and how she deals with it.
On this episode, we have a conversation about mental health in the black community and some of the way its effects spill over into the church. Conversations around mental health issues are already difficult as it is but it gets even harder in the Christian church context. We understand and acknowledge that we do not have all the expertise when it comes to this subject matter so that our conversations might be very subjective but we believe the conversation must be started. We need to be comfortable with having uncomfortable conversations such as these.
The Proverbs 31 woman is like every church girl's role model to emulate when prepping for marriage but what about the church boys? On this episode we're bringing the men into the conversation!!! Our hubbies join us in the discussion to let us in on how they prepped for marriage and give us some of their thoughts and insights on marriage now that they are in it. It is a really a fun episode with a lot of take away points.
In this episode, we have a real discussion about some of the things we thought we knew before we got married but caught us off guard when we actually got married. We're sure a lot of married people can relate. Those who aren't married yet and are thinking of it, there are a few takeaways that can be gleaned here.
In this episode, we continue our discussion on why one should or should not marry. Though the Bible doesn't give specific instructions on marriage, it goes without saying that marriage is an institution established by God and there are great blessings that stem from it. Though it is not law that one should marry, there are certain blessings that come with marriage if one does decide to do so. In this episode we explore some of these benefits.
In many Christian circles, marriage is a topic that we talk about a lot. Or is it? Is it talked about enough? It is a discussion that we have over and over from so many different angles. But why is it such a hot topic? Are we all called to marry? In the first episode of our marriage series, we look at what the Bible has to say about marriage and try to discuss it from an angle that we believe is not often included in the conversation about marriage especially in the Christian circles.
In this episode we are introducing ourselves and our podcast and telling you what it's all about. We get into some of the topics that we will be discussing in coming episodes. We definitely also had talk a bit about COVID-19 cuz heck...it's happening in this very moments.