This week on our journey of Leveling Up, we’re talking about how to know when you need to let go of your routines and try something new.

I love my routines. They’ve helped me accomplish so many things my 23-year-old self dreamed of. But as much as they served me to get here, they aren’t helping me move to the next level. My routines don’t fit my new dreams, so I’m shaking things up!

Tune in to learn how your routines can hold you back when it’s time to refresh your habits and the small changes you can make to level up your life.

I also talk about…

• Developing the skills that prepare you for the life you want
• Why I’m releasing routines, even though I’m a routine-oriented person
• Doing a life audit to evaluate if your routines are serving you
• Small changes that help you get out of a rut
• The power of decluttering
• Why change is an opportunity for so much more
• The financial outcomes of our habits
• The importance of support for building momentum when you’re getting out of a rut

Resources:

• Podcast Episode: How To Do a Life Audit
• Podcast Episode: Reframing Our Relationship with Stuff
• Podcast Episode: Digital Self-Care and Decluttering
• Book: The Science of Stuck

Sponsors:

• ZocDoc | Zocdoc | Find and book a top-rated doctor in your area today with Zocdoc. Visit zocdoc.com/balanced to download the app for free.
• Alo Moves | Reach your fitness and wellness goals with Alo Moves. Visit alomoves.com and use the code BALANCED for a free 30-day trial and 50% off an annual membership.
• LMNT | LMNT is a tasty electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing you don’t. Right now LMNT is offering my listeners a free sample pack with any purchase. Get yours at drinklmnt.com/balancedles.
• BiOptimizers | Magnesium Breakthrough by BiOptimizers has the seven types of magnesium your body needs. Get 10% off your order at magbreakthrough.com/balanced.
• Tru Earth | Tru Earth offers eco-friendly laundry detergent strips that are compact and make doing laundry so much easier. Visit tru.earth/balanced for 12% off your order.

Keep in touch with Balanced Black Girl:

• Visit our website at balancedblackgirl.com
• Join Club Balanced, our community on Geneva
• Subscribe to our newsletter, Mirror Notes
• Follow on IG: @balancedblackgirlpodcast @balancedles
• Follow on TikTok @balancedblackgirl @balancedles

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donations

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome back! This week, we’re continuing the Level Up series with a topic that we can all resonate with—getting back on track after falling off.

I’ve needed to do this so many times I’ve lost count, and it can be a vicious cycle. We fall off, then get trapped in a negative thinking pattern and start to internalize beliefs that we lack discipline or drive.

But the truth is that those routines just don’t fit us anymore! So tune in to hear my favorite practices for getting out of that cycle and back on track.

I also talk about…

• Identifying what’s getting us off track
• Not beating ourselves up when we just need to pivot
• Meeting ourselves where we’re at and adjusting our routines to fit
• How hitting 50% of your goals still gets you ahead in life
• Chasing the feeling not the goal
• Taking small steps that compound over time

Sponsors:

• MudWtr | MudWtr is a coffee alternative with 4 adaptogenic mushrooms and ayruvedic herbs with way less caffeine than coffee. Get 15% off your first order at mudwtr.com/balanced.
• ZocDoc | Zocdoc | Find and book a top-rated doctor in your area today with Zocdoc. Visit zocdoc.com/balanced to download the app for free.
• Alo Moves | Reach your fitness and wellness goals with Alo Moves. Visit alomoves.com and use the code BALANCED for a free 30-day trial and 50% off an annual membership.
• BiOptimizers | Magnesium Breakthrough by BiOptimizers has the seven types of magnesium your body needs. Get 10% off your order at magbreakthrough.com/balanced.

Keep in touch with Balanced Black Girl:

• Subscribe to Balanced Black Girl on YouTube
• Visit our website at balancedblackgirl.com
• Join Club Balanced, our community on Geneva
• Subscribe to our newsletter, Mirror Notes
• Follow on IG: @balancedblackgirlpodcast @balancedles
• Follow on TikTok @balancedblackgirl @balancedles

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donations

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It’s a new month and that means a new series! Today we’re stepping into April and focusing on Leveling Up. So stay tuned for conversations about getting unstuck, motivating yourself out of a rut, and busting through plateaus.

In this episode, I share my first big experience getting out of a rut with my 25 by 25 list. Spoiler, I didn’t reach all 25 goals, but it DID help me learn what I’m capable of and just how much life can change in a pretty short amount of time.

I also talk about…

• How being stuck could just be misalignment
• The time I needed a hobby, but got a boyfriend instead
• The beautiful moment when you realize you have choices
• The empowering boost of making smart financial decisions
• How reaching the goals on my list wasn’t even the best outcome of the list
• How the seeds you plant now are what help you get unstuck tomorrow

Resources:

• The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward by Britt Frank
• Subscribe to Balanced Black Girl on YouTube

Sponsors:

• ZocDoc | Zocdoc | Find and book a top-rated doctor in your area today with Zocdoc. Visit zocdoc.com/balanced to download the app for free.
• Alo Moves | Reach your fitness and wellness goals with Alo Moves. Visit alomoves.com and use the code BALANCED for a free 30-day trial and 50% off an annual membership.
• LMNT | LMNT is a tasty electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing you don’t. Right now LMNT is offering my listeners a free sample pack with any purchase. Get yours at drinklmnt.com/balancedles.
• BiOptimizers | Magnesium Breakthrough by BiOptimizers has the seven types of magnesium your body needs. Get 10% off your order at magbreakthrough.com/balanced.

Keep in touch with Balanced Black Girl:

• Visit our website at balancedblackgirl.com
• Join Club Balanced, our community on Geneva
• Subscribe to our newsletter, Mirror Notes
• Follow on IG: @balancedblackgirlpodcast @balancedles
• Follow on TikTok @balancedblackgirl @balancedles

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donations

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today, we’re closing out our book club series talking about a very underrated form of self care— hobbies—and how Black women, specifically, need to embrace them for their own wellbeing.

Tune in to learn about the research-backed benefits of hobbies and how regardless of your age or skill level, there are so many hobbies out there for you.

I also talk about…

• Re-evaluating why we’re seeking out another degree or business
• Digging deeper to see what areas we’re truly dissatisfied with
• The slippery slope from hobby to side-hustle
• Reading as an accessible and deeply beneficial hobby
• Reading what makes you feel joy, not just what you think you should

Resources:

• paper-2015.pdf">Real-Time Associations Between Engaging in Leisure and Daily Health and Well-Being
• Reading Is Self-Care

Sponsors:

• ZocDoc | Zocdoc | Find and book a top-rated doctor in your area today with Zocdoc. Visit zocdoc.com/balanced to download the app for free.
• Alo Moves | Reach your fitness and wellness goals with Alo Moves. Visit alomoves.com and use the code BALANCED for a free 30-day trial and 50% off an annual membership.
• Hers | At Hers, you can get access to real medical providers who can prescribe trusted anxiety and depression treatment if it’s right for you. Visit forhers.com/spring to get started for $25 off if prescribed.

Keep in touch with Balanced Black Girl:

• Visit our website at balancedblackgirl.com
• Join Club Balanced, our community on Geneva
• Subscribe to our newsletter, Mirror Notes
• Follow on IG: @balancedblackgirlpodcast @balancedles
• Follow on TikTok @balancedblackgirl @balancedles

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donations

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Continuing our Black author's book club series, this week I’ve invited Lyvonne Briggs back to the show. Lyvonne is the author of the book Sensual Faith: The Art of Coming Home to Your Body. She's an Emmy Award winner, a body and sex-positive womanist, preacher, spiritual life coach, and speaker. She is the host of the Sensual Faith podcast and co-host of Sanctified, a faith-based Spotify exclusive podcast on Jamel Hills’ Unbothered network.

Together, we have an incredibly rich and powerful conversation about decolonizing our faith, building our spiritual team, and navigating our personal evolutions.

We also talk about…

• Seeing ourselves in one another’s stories and knowing we aren’t alone
• How the smallest things can be big shifts toward healing
• The fact that God doesn’t require our suffering to prove our devotion
• Letting go of invisible milestones and trusting the timing of your life
• Unlearning the inclination to earn our self-love
• Embracing African cosmology and the Black woman as divine
• The truth about writing a book and getting it published

Resources:

• Visit Lyvonne’s website
• Read Lyvonne’s Book, Sensual Faith: The Art of Coming Home to Your Body
• Follow Lyvonne on Instagram
• Listen to the Sensual Faith Podcast
• Listen to the Sanctified podcast

Sponsors:

• LMNT | LMNT is my favorite no-sugar electrolyte mix. Get a free sample pack with your order at drinklmnt.com/balancedles. 
• Alo Moves | Take wellness and fitness classes from anywhere on-demand with Alo Moves. Visit alomoves.com and use the code "BALANCED" for a free 30-day trial and 50% off your annual membership.
• Hers | Visit forhers.com/spring to get your first month of treatment for just $25 if prescribed.
• Zocdoc | Visit zocdoc.com/balanced and download the Zocdoc app for free and find a trusted healthcare provider in your area.

Keep in touch with Balanced Black Girl:

• Visit our website at balancedblackgirl.com
• Join Club Balanced, our community on Geneva
• Subscribe to our newsletter, Mirror Notes
• Follow on IG: @balancedblackgirlpodcast @balancedles
• Follow on TikTok @balancedblackgirl @balancedles

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donations

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We’re continuing our book club series with another conversation with the very first Balanced Black Girl guest, Chrissy King.

In celebration of Chrissy’s new book The Body Liberation Project, we have an honest, vulnerable conversation about what body liberation is and how we can work towards it individually and collectively. We also talk about reading and writing as an act of self care.

Chrissy King is a writer, speaker, former strength coach, and educator with a passion for creating a diverse and inclusive wellness industry. She empowers individuals to stop shrinking, start taking up space, and use their energy to create their specific magic in the world.

We Also Talk About…

• What diet culture is and what it entails
• How food is for pleasure, not just fuel
• The myth that Black women and girls don’t struggle with body image
• The intersection of racism and diet culture
• The difference between body liberation and body positivity
• Reading and writing as an act of self care

Resources:

• Visit Chrissy’s Website
• Order The Body Liberation Project
• Follow Chrissy on Instagram

Sponsors:

• ZocDoc | Zocdoc | Find and book a top-rated doctor in your area today with Zocdoc. Visit zocdoc.com/balanced to download the app for free.
• Alo Moves | Reach your fitness and wellness goals with Alo Moves. Visit alomoves.com and use the code BALANCED for a free 30-day trial and 50% off an annual membership.
• Clay | Organize your digital connections with Clay. Clay is offering a free 60-day trial to Balanced Black Girl listeners at clay.earth/partners/balanced.

Keep in touch with Balanced Black Girl:

• Visit our website at balancedblackgirl.com
• Join Club Balanced, our community on Geneva
• Subscribe to our newsletter, Mirror Notes
• Follow on IG: @balancedblackgirlpodcast @balancedles
• Follow on TikTok @balancedblackgirl @balancedles

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donations

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It’s a new month, so we have a new theme—Book Club! For the next few weeks you can look forward to conversations with amazing authors from the Balanced Book Club.

Today I'm joined by Clarkisha Kent to celebrate the launch of her new book Fat Off, Fat On: a Big Bitch Manifesto. Clarkisha is a Nigerian-American writer, culture critic, former columnist and author. She is also the creator of the Kent Test, an immediate litmus test designed to evaluate the quality of representation that exists for Black women and women of color in film and other media.

Together we discuss her new book, how she handled writing such a vulnerable story, the ways humor can support our healing, and why media literacy is a critical skill.

We Also Talk About…

• The value of the public library
• The dynamic nature of being human
• How no one knows what they’re doing with their life
• The many flavors of exploitation
• The effectiveness of getting mad sometimes
• The necessity of being critical of the media you’re consuming

Resources:

• Visit Clarkisha’s Website
• Follow Clarkisha on Instagram
• The Kent Test
• Fat Off, Fat On: A Big Bitch Manifesto by Clarkisha Kent

Sponsors:

• ZocDoc | Zocdoc | Find and book a top-rated doctor in your area today with Zocdoc. Visit zocdoc.com/balanced to download the app for free.
• Alo Moves | Reach your fitness and wellness goals with Alo Moves. Visit alomoves.com and use the code BALANCED for a free 30-day trial and 50% off an annual membership.
• LMNT | LMNT is a tasty electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing you don’t. Right now LMNT is offering my listeners a free sample pack with any purchase. Get yours at drinklmnt.com/balancedles.

Keep in touch with Balanced Black Girl:

• Visit our website at balancedblackgirl.com
• Join Club Balanced, our community on Geneva
• Subscribe to our newsletter, Mirror Notes
• Follow on IG: @balancedblackgirlpodcast @balancedles
• Follow on TikTok @balancedblackgirl @balancedles

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donations

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We’ve had some incredible episodes on intimacy these past few weeks, and today we're wrapping up the series with licensed marriage and family therapist Kamil Lewis.

Kamil’s work focuses on sex therapy and examines intersectional identity specifically with race, sexuality, and gender. She’s the CEO of the therapy practice The Expansive Group and co-host of the podcast Safe Word.

In this episode, we discuss ways to connect with ourselves and how the ability to connect with others really starts within. Kamil also shares some great tactical advice to help you build your connection skill set.

We Also Talk About…

• The experience of intimacy as a Black Femme
• Replacing the narrative that putting yourself first is selfish
• Creating small, sustainable, moments of care in your life and giving your routines room to change
• Cultivating a curious and playful relationship with masturbation
• Having healthy conversations about pleasure with children and not just the dreaded “talk”
• Kamil’s favorite self-care practices

Resources:

• Visit Kamil’s Website
• Follow Kamil on Instagram
• Listen to the Safe Word Podcast
• Follow Sex Positive Families on Instagram

Sponsors:

• Clay | Clay is an app to help you organize your digital relationships. Clay is offering a free 60-day trial to Balanced Black Girl listeners. Go to clay.earth/partners/balanced to start your free trial.
• Alo Moves | Reach your fitness and wellness goals with on-demand classes from Alo Moves. Visit alomoves.com and use the code BALANCED for a free 30-day trial and 50% off an annual membership. 

Keep in touch with Balanced Black Girl:

• Visit our website at balancedblackgirl.com
• Join Club Balanced, our community on Geneva
• Subscribe to our newsletter, Mirror Notes
• Follow on IG: @balancedblackgirlpodcast @balancedles
• Follow on TikTok @balancedblackgirl @balancedles

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donations

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

All too often, our formative experiences with our bodies and sensuality are tied to shame. That can lead to us feeling disconnected from ourselves and confused about what we want or need from intimacy.

In this episode, we’re continuing our series on intimacy as we delve into the topic of physical intimacy with Krystal Taylor. Together, we talk about unpacking sexual shame and feeling more comfortable in our bodies and relationships.

Krystal is a certified tantra yoga instructor who specializes in educating and supporting individuals towards sexual wholeness. Her unique coaching approach involves sharing ancient yogic philosophy, ancestral practices, as well as her own sensual, get down to earth techniques.

We Also Talk About…

• Working through learned shame around sexuality and pleasure
• Why sex and intimacy are two different things
• Reconnecting with your body, intuition, and voice
• What Tantra really is
• How to begin exploring your sensuality

Resources:

• The difference between sex and intimacy: https://www.instagram.com/p/CmxFg4wBdCl/
• Visit Krystal’s Website (and sign up for her newsletter!)
• Follow Krystal on Instagram
• Watch & Learn from Krystal on YouTube
• Join Krystal for Tantric Training

Sponsors:

• LMNT | LMNT is a tasty electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing you don’t. Right now LMNT is offering my listeners a free sample pack with any purchase. Get yours at drinklmnt.com/balancedles.

Keep in touch with Balanced Black Girl:

• Visit our website at balancedblackgirl.com
• Join Club Balanced, our community on Geneva
• Subscribe to our newsletter, Mirror Notes
• Follow on IG: @balancedblackgirlpodcast @balancedles
• Follow on TikTok @balancedblackgirl @balancedles

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donations

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As adults, building and maintaining friendships is a challenge. What felt so easy as kids, now feels like an overwhelming task full of rejection, uncertainty, and confusion. But connection plays a huge role in our overall health and well-being. Studies show that it’s even more important than regular exercise!

So in today’s episode, we’re diving into platonic intimacy with Dr. Marisa Franco. Dr. Franco is a psychologist, international speaker, and professor. She’s also the author of The New York Times best seller Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make and Keep Friends.

Together, we discuss the importance of friendship, the science behind our need for platonic connection, and how simple it can be to make friends as an adult.

We Also Talk About…

• How friendship is acted out across gender lines
• Loneliness as a stress experience & critical longevity indicator
• Treating our friendships with as much care, excitement, and celebration as our romantic partnerships
• How healthy conflict in relationships can lead to deeper intimacy and understanding
• Friendships throughout times of transition

Resources:

• Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make – and Keep – Friends by Dr. Marisa Franco
• Visit Dr. Marisa Franco’s Website
• Follow Dr. Marisa Franco on Instagram

Sponsors:

• Zocdoc | Find and book a top-rated doctor in your area today with Zocdoc. Visit zocdoc.com/balanced to download the app for free. 

Keep in touch with Balanced Black Girl:

• Visit our website at balancedblackgirl.com
• Join Club Balanced, our community on Geneva
• Subscribe to our newsletter, Mirror Notes
• Follow on IG: @balancedblackgirlpodcast @balancedles
• Follow on TikTok @balancedblackgirl @balancedles

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donations

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy