Girl! You know it...

Folks! We’ve missed y’all so much! And we’re back for another episode of “Girl! You Know It”

On this episode, the illustrious Shayla Bird stopped by to join Elle and Abi for a discussion we’re calling ‘Educating While Black’, giving us the inside scoop on what it’s like to be a Black teacher in the Lower Mainland in this day and age. We chat about showing up for the children, showing up for fellow educators and, most importantly, showing up for oneself as a teacher. Navigating the education system can be overwhelming when trying to propel anti-Black racism efforts forward as a Black person in a colonial system while also trying to build up and empower Black children and youth to fully step into their own.

Don’t worry: there are definitely light moments and laughs to listen to as well!

Happy new year, folks! We hope that got to spend the holiday season with loved ones and vegging out! We’ve got another gift for you: a new “Girl! You Know It” episode 🙌🏾

On this episode, “Reflections on Friendships”, the girlies discuss about how vital friendships and communities are for our lives while recognizing that not everyone can come with us to new life stages (which is sometimes a hard pill to swallow for each of us). We also jump on the AITA train and read a couple of juicy internet tales!

Make sure you watch the podcast on our YouTube channel and stream anywhere you can!

Another episode loading for you from Girl! You Know It and it’s a gooood one: “Body Positivity for the Black Gyals” 💁🏾‍♀️

For this episode, the ladies are joined by Kelsey Ellis, the founder of Healthy With Kelsey and a body positive coach who has made it her business to disrupt the status quo of the fitness industry.

Kelsey shares with us her journey to starting her own business, her experience of the health and fitness world, and how she shares her passion of wellness and movement by fully meeting clients and viewers where they are at

Make sure you listen and watch where you can!

We’re excited to bring you another episode of Girl! You Know It

This episode, the gyals are joined by Firina Achor Beamish, a PR & Marketing consultant and the Founder of Firina Achor Creative Agency!

We have a lively conversation about the ins and outs and the world of public relations and learn about Firina’s own growth journey since starting her business.

Make sure you listen and watch where you can!

Happy Black History Month ✊🏿

Join us for our first guests of season 3 Deborah Macatumpag and Maya Macatumpag-Murray.

Deborah is one of the first Black stuntwomen in western Canada and a pioneer in the industry.

Maya is a second generation stuntwoman who has over 20 years experience in this industry. Her career started as a stunt kid and continues on today working as a full time stunt performer and member of UBCP.

This episode we'll be talking about…us. But not us now…we are going to turn back the clock to yesteryear and let you get to know us as kids. It’s always interesting to hear what people were like as kids because it gives you a really great window into their origin stories.

On this episode your hosts Nataizya, Elle and Abi discuss what World Mental Health Day means to them. World Mental Health Day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. We talk about our own mental health and how we manage it. 

Welcome to season 3 of Girl! You know it...we have a new addition to our podcast! Abi is our project assistant for BWCV and we are excited for us to be our new host for our podcast. Sit back and list as we talk about who we are, things we love and hate. This episode is sure to make you laugh.

Join Nataizya as she does a special podcast episode with Oluniké Adeliyi who plays Dr. Toni Shakur and Motion who is the executive producer and co-writer.  About the show: An episodic series created, co-written, and co-produced by Amanda Parris that follows Dr. Toni Shakur, a self-help guru whose singular mission is to cancel the entertainment industry's reliance on token Black characters....before she gets canceled herself.

Join Elle and Palesa as they dive into the complex topic of identity with specific focus on queerness and becoming who we are today. In a world where society pressures us into boxes, Nyarai takes us through her journey of becoming and self-expressing fully.    

Meet our guest Nyarai: Nyarai Tawengwa is a black queer artist and writer currently residing on Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh territories. She has a deep interest in how personal identity affects how we interact with the world, freedom, and living life from a space of love. She enjoys the outdoors, food and random facts.  

LET US KNOW: when it comes to identity, do you feel as though you are capable of full self-expression?    

Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/blackwomenconnectvancouver/   

Website: https://blackwomenconnectvancouver.com/   

Subscribe &  watch on Youtube   

Listen to the podcast on Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, and more.

Join Nataizya, Elle and Palesa as they dive into the complex topic of interracial dating; and all the interesting lessons that come with it, with special guest Abi Kibs. This episode was insightful and by no means the last one we will be having. This episode delves in to how you can lose yourself or find yourself in a relationship.  

Meet our guest Abi:  Abigail Kibarita has a BA in Theatre and English. As well as a TESL certificate, (teaching english as a second language). She is currently in the educational force working as an Educational Assistant with children who have special needs. Abi enjoys cooking different types of cuisine, especially Asian cuisine which she grew to love more while teaching English in China, in 2019. She greatly enjoys performing in local theatre productions across the lower mainland/Vancouver.  In 2017 she was in the production called 12 Minute Madness during the Vancouver Fringe Festival, then performed in Doubt: A Parable in 2018 produced by Gallery 7.  

LET US KNOW: have you been in an interracial relationship? Why or why not?  

Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/blackwomenconnectvancouver/ 

Website: https://blackwomenconnectvancouver.com/ 

Subscribe &  watch on Youtube 

Listen to the podcast on Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, and more.

Join Nataizya, Elle and Palesa as they dive into the complexity of being single as a choice; and thriving in it, with special guest Misha Maseka. This episode was very funny and enlightening because Misha is such an amazing character. Thanks to her for spilling some tea for us - she clearly knows us all too well.    

Meet our guest Misha:  Misha Maseka is a writer, director and musician. Born in eSwatini to Zambian parents but growing up in South Africa, Australia and eventually Canada, she has observed many people and their small and unseen stories. As a storyteller of the African diaspora, she is determined to continue to tell small and unseen stories of humanity. 

LET US KNOW: what does the word "single" mean to you? What feelings or emotions does it evoke?  

Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/blackwomenconnectvancouver/

Website: https://blackwomenconnectvancouver.com/

Subscribe & watch on Youtube. 

Listen to the podcast on Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, and more.

Join Nataizya, Elle and Palesa as they dive into the complexity of mixed families, with special guest Courtney Davis. This episode was very eye-opening and allowed us to get a sense of what being in a mixed family can be like. The tensions of finding belonging, of forming a sense of identity and of being able to fully express who you are. Both in family dynamics and in society.   

LET US KNOW: what do the words "mixed family" mean to you?  

Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/blackwomenconnectvancouver/

Website: https://blackwomenconnectvancouver.com/

Subscribe &  watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/So1tIsfDASE 

Listen to the podcast on Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, and more.

Join Nataizya, Elle and Palesa as they dive into this complex topic with special guest Kevin Joseph. The ladies did not hold back one bit, and it was amazing of Kevin to hold space and make this much space to have this type of discussion.   

Meet Kevin:  "Kev Joseph is the Host of an Instagram Live Series called “Let’s Talk🎙” geared to providing content that will help maintain and sustain the uncomfortable yet necessary conversations about issues plaguing our world, racism, privilege, injustice, inequality, mental health and other socio-economic topics that have been swept under the carpet for too long. He also has lots of inspiring, motivating and encouraging guests that help us heal, grow and nurture our excellence from within. He started a Global Black-Owned Business Directory listing with with his team that will be converted into a digital app format housed presently on his website https://kevjoseph.com/  Recently, He was selected by @twitter to be a Beta Host Tester of their new @twitterspaces feature that allows for audible conversations in a shared space on the app. He has an academic background in Management Economics & Finance among other great accolades. His ultimate goal to help everyone become the best version of ourselves!"  

This is an epic one - and ladies, tell us, do you have men in your community who are open to having these honest conversations?   

Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/blackwomenconnectvancouver/

Website: https://blackwomenconnectvancouver.com/

On this episode, Elle, Nataizya, and Palesa discuss how they exhibit high-achiever behaviour. 

This episode was such a self-drag; but mostly Elle was dragged by her cuticles - and was called in by Nataizya and Palesa about self-care habits or the lack thereof.   

Elle posed a question to us and I want to pose it to you.Tell us you're a high-achieving woman without saying you're a high-achieving woman?  

 Website: https://blackwomenconnectvancouver.com/Listen on Anchor + Spotify Instagram: @girl.youknowit

Hi folks, welcome to probably one of the most gripping episodes yet! 

Elle, Nataizya, and Palesa were joined by Awele Juwe our Content Creator. In this episode we went in on feminism; our definition of it, and how we have grown to understand it. We also dove into the ways in which feminist movements can and have excluded other women.   

When did you first pick up a book to educate yourself on feminism?  

Website: https://blackwomenconnectvancouver.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackwomenconnectvancouver/

Hi folks, join Palesa, Nataizya and Elle as they discuss International Women's Day. 

We each nominated a woman in our lives who inspires us daily. We covered this year's theme #choosetochallenge which mean that: we can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world. From challenge comes change, so let's all choose to challenge. This IWD what are you choosing to challenge?  

Website: https://blackwomenconnectvancouver.com/

Youtube: https://youtu.be/qOLXYs7xzA0

Hey Folks! 🎊It's 2021 and we are coming with in with a bang. We are taking all we've learnt from 2020 and applying it to 2021.

Our first lesson was finances, some of us lost it, saved it, made more than we ever did. We are all still finding ourselves not sure how to manage our debt or how to actually start saving. In this episode Nataizya, Elle, and Palesa discuss financial literacy with Liza Kanji from CIBC. 

Liza advises us on the pros and cos of budgeting as a solution and so much more.Liza is a Senior Manager at CIBC, she provides you with access to specialized business expertise to help you meet your business and financial goals. She has been in the financial services industry since 2001 and her qualifications include a Bachelor of Commerce degree. She is also a member of the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. With this specialized knowledge and experience, Liza is able to understand the unique opportunities and challenges business owners face.

We know there's lots to take away form this, so feel free to rewatch it over and over again. 

In this episode the team talks about 2020, holiday traditions, and what is in store for 2021 for BWCV!

Hi folks welcome to Episode 5!!! 🎊

In this episode of Girl! You know it.. Nataizya and Palesa chat to guest Chitinthi Tembo (@chateauice) about Boundaries. We spoke heavily on boundaries and what they mean when it comes to family and friend relationships. Just because someone is your friend - doesn’t mean that you cannot set them a boundary, or even end the friendship if they cross any boundaries. It is your prerogative.

Preserve yourself, your health, and your light!

In this episode Nataizya and Palesa discuss their family dynamics and relationships they have with their siblings, parents, and extended families. The complacency that we face in our relationships when people don't grow, change, or put their best foot forward.

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackwomenconnectvancouver/

Hi Folks! Welcome to Episode 3, where we are joined by Ruthie Unaegbu, Registered Counsellor, actress, coach, educator, doula, etc. We discuss what we have learnt from 2020, and how we can think about 2021. Ruthie has some great nuggets of wisdom on how to prepare yourself mentally, physically, socially, emotionally, and personally in order to lay a firm foundation for goal building and planning. 

Ruthie Unaegbu instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ruthiestrong/) and website (https://ruthunaegbu.com/). 

Find our more about Black Women Connect Vancouver on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/blackwomenconnectvancouver/) and website (https://linktr.ee/Blackwomenconnectvancouver_) 

Tune in to hear Nataizya, Elle, and Palesa share how they're connecting in Vancouver. Their diverse experiences have allowed them to understand the relationship to themselves as well as the relationship to others. They have some good advice for anyone looking to connect and set boundaries for relationships (new and old). 

Welcome to Girl! You know it! Through the giggling and the nerves we made an epic episode. Find out a bit more about each of our team members.