Episode #266 Decolonize Your Parenting with Leslie Priscilla

Author and parenting expert, Leslie Priscilla, shares indigenous wisdom regarding understanding how you were parented shows you how you can choose to parent. With insight, compassion, humility, and care, Leslie transforms our understanding of parenting that honors and liberates our children. Leslie Priscilla is a first-generation, Xicana with Rarámuri lineage and the daughter of two Mexican immigrants. She is mother to three bicultural children and stepmother to one, and a certified Parent Coach with nearly two decades of experience working with families. Through her organization Latinx Parenting, she offers coaching, workshops, support, training, and advocacy for Latinx/Chicanx families and the professionals who serve them, locally, nationally, and internationally. Her vision is a movement rooted in children's rights, social and racial justice, and the individual and collective practice of nonviolence and reparenting. It's a vision grounded in intergenerational and ancestral healing, cultural sustenance, and the active decolonization of oppressive practices in our families, toward liberation. She is the author of the book CHANCLA: Healing Our Families, Ourselves, and Our Culture and is born, raised, and remains based in Santa Ana, CA.

Brittainy Noel shares her heartbreaking, but ultimately transformative, testimony of healing from betrayal and a much needed breakup. She shares her inner journey to reclaiming herself and making her way home. Brittainy Noel is a licensed therapist, speaker, author, and the founder of The Daily Fix, a global personal development community helping people heal, grow, and live with intention. Known for her ability to blend clinical expertise with heartfelt storytelling, Brittainy has inspired audiences across the country through her live events, workshops, and transformational conversations. Her work focuses on emotional wellness, relationships, self-worth, and helping people break free from the patterns that keep them stuck. Remember to like, subscribe, and share this video! Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast [email protected]

Dr. Thema sits down with White House Correspondent April Ryan to discuss her personal journey of what it is like living in the spotlight and surviving and thriving in the midst of political attacks and political pressure. White House Correspondent April Ryan has a unique vantage point as the only Black female reporter covering urban issues from the White House – a position she has held for 28 years, since the Clinton era. She is now the longest-serving Black tenured White House Correspondent in the History of the United States. Her position as a White House Correspondent has afforded her unusual insight into the racial sensitivities, issues, and attendant political struggles of our nation’s past presidents. April can be seen on MSNBC as a Political Contributor. In addition, April is the Host of Contrarian’s “The Tea With April Ryan,” where she sits down each week with political leaders and activists shaping the future in real time. She has been featured in Essence, Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Elle magazines – to name a few. April Ryan has served on the board of the prestigious White House Correspondents Association. She is one of only three African Americans in the Association’s over 100-year history to serve on its board. She is also an esteemed member of the National Press Club. In 2015, Ms. Ryan was nominated for an NAACP Image Award (Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author) for her first book. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share. Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast [email protected]

Dr. Thema describes the principles of matriarchy and shares her personal evolution with becoming a matriarch. Dr. Thema Bryant is a psychologist, author, professor, sacred artist, and minister who is leading the way in creating healthy relationships, healing traumas, and overcoming stress and oppression. Her life changing books include Matters of the Heart, Homecoming, Reclaim Yourself: The Homecoming Workbook, and The Antiracism Handbook: Practical Tools to Shift Your Mindset and Uproot Racism in Your Life and Community and they empower readers to connect with themselves and to others, exploring topics such as: control issues, emotional unavailability, practical activation activities, case studies, and teaching how to shift mindset and patterns around mental health, relationships, and liberation. Dr. Thema Bryant completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Duke University and her post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical Center’s Victims of Violence Program. Upon graduating, she became the Coordinator of the Princeton University SHARE Program, which provides intervention and prevention programming to combat sexual assault, sexual harassment, and harassment based on sexual orientation. She is currently a tenured professor of psychology in the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University, where she directs the Culture and Trauma Research Laboratory. Dr. Thema is an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and leads the mental health ministry at First A.M.E. Church in Los Angeles. Most recently, she was the 2023 president of the American Psychological Association (APA) and is the host of The Homecoming Podcast. Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast [email protected]

Dr. Thema's brother, Pastor, author, and activist Dr. Jamal Bryant joins her to discuss the personal and professional challenges of leadership. He shares his insights on thriving, making mistakes, and evolving. Dr. Bryant explores leadership as something we can learn, study, and grow into. Dr. Jamal Bryant embodies the rare balance of spiritual gifts and practical educational experiences that connects pastoral leadership and discipleship teaching with prophetic preaching and courageous social action. Dr. Bryant is equipped and poised to initiate theological revival, decisive commitment and rededication to the teachings of Jesus the Christ as the foundation for personal living, family stability and community development. Dr. Bryant is not only known as a riveting speaker but has earned a reputation as a social justice activist. Prior to pastoring, he served as the national youth and college director of the NAACP for six years, leading about 70,000 young people worldwide on non-violent campaigns. Dr. Bryant earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Morehouse College and a Masters of Divinity from Duke University. He studied at Oxford University in Great Britain and earned a doctorate from The Graduate Theological Foundation. Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast [email protected]

Therapist and author, Alishia McCullough joins Dr. Thema to share what disconnects us from our bodies and how to reclaim our bodies. They explore embodiment as an act of liberation. Alishia McCullough (LCMHC) is a millennial Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist and owner of Black and Embodied Consulting PLLC. She specializes in somatic therapy, trauma healing, and eating disorder treatment with a focus on cultivating embodiment and fostering anti-oppression. Alishia currently runs the self-paced online course Reimagining Eating Disorders 101. She was awarded the 2023 Alumni Award from the Department of Psychology for the noteworthy contributions she has made to the field. An accomplished writer, she is the author of a collection of poems called Blossoming, and Reclaiming the Black Body now available in bookstores nationwide. Alishia's work has been featured in Bustle, WordInBlack, STAT News, BlackGirlNerds, Essence, Reckon, Wondermind, Pen America and Forbes. Don’t forget to subscribe and share. Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast [email protected]

Jasmine Mans joins Dr. Thema to speak honestly about the ways we abandon ourselves in relationships and the importance of choosing and loving ourselves. Jasmine Mans is a queer Black poet and performance artist from Newark, New Jersey. Jasmine’s debut poetry collection, Black Girl, Call Home (Berkley Penguin Random House) published in 2021 to critical and commercial acclaim, and was named one of the most anticipated books of the season by Oprah, TIME, Vogue, Vulture, Essence, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Refinery 29, Shondaland, Bustle, and Reader’s Digest. The collection went on to receive the prestigious Stonewall Honor Award, as well as a BCALA Award in the Poetry category. Jasmine most recently collaborated with the Brooklyn Ballet at the storied Brooklyn Academy of Music, setting her poetry to ballet and classical scores. Jasmine was also a contributor to Nikole Hannah-Jones’s The 1619 Project and has co-hosted The Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America series alongside renowned author Jason Reynolds. Jasmine began her creative journey with the acclaimed Strivers Row poetry collective, and she continues to perform to sold-out crowds, like the Sundance Film Festival, Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theater, and BAM, among many others. Jasmine can currently be heard as the voice of Ulta Beauty’s national “Muse” campaign, honoring Black women in the hair and beauty industry. Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast [email protected]

Dr. Jennifer joins Dr. Thema to provide practical strategies for decolonizing our nervous system. Rooted in culture, somatics, and psychological science, the resources she provides empower us to reconnect and come home to ourselves. Dr. Jennifer Mullan, PsyD is a founder, speaker, and best-selling author. As the founder and CEO of The Center for Decolonizing Therapy and author of the best-selling book, Dr. Mullan, known as “the Rage Doctor,” is a bold, leading voice in reimagining mental health through the lens of colonization, generational trauma, and systemic harm. Her work is both embodiment and invitation—awakening the wisdom of sacred rage and ancestral healing through somatics, neuroscience, and psycho-spiritual practice. On a mission to radicalize and democratize mental health, it is Dr. Mullan’s life's work to support individuals and communities in reclaiming their wholeness. She lives on Lenape land in Northern New Jersey and is the author of the forthcoming book Sacred Rage. Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast [email protected]

In this week's episode, Dr. Thema is back to answer the questions you have submitted about relationships, connection, and healing. To get insights for your questions and concerns in a future episode, send your questions to [email protected]. Don't forget to like, subscribe, share, and comment. Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast [email protected]

Spoken word artist Janette...ikz shares with us her journey back home to herself after the loss of her mom. She describes the roles alcohol and faith played in her attempts to cope with and eventually heal from the pain and disconnected caused by grief and trauma. MissTerious Janette…ikz (pronounced mysterious genetics) is a globally recognized spoken word poet and musical artist whose Christ-centered creativity has inspired audiences for more than 25 years. Known for her unmistakable blend of poetry, music, and storytelling, she brings a rare authenticity that captivates listeners and invites them into deeper reflection, healing, and hope. Her viral piece “I Will Wait for You”—with millions of views across YouTube and Facebook—introduced her to a worldwide audience and established her as a leading voice in faith-driven artistry. She has since been featured on The 700 Club, BET, and the covers of Testify Sister and Spoken Vizions Magazine, while sharing stages with Chris Tomlin, Lecrae, Francis Chan, Kirk Franklin, Kierra Sheard, Jonathan McReynolds, and many more. Having overcome significant adversity from a young age, Janette…ikz now uses both her music and poetry as vessels of restoration, reminding audiences that God can transform every storm into purpose. Her performances carry a unique combination of passion, vulnerability, and spiritual depth that continues to resonate across generations and cultures. Don't forget to subscribe. Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast [email protected]