Kume: Turning Point Diaries

Navigating life transitions with clarity and self-awareness. In this special edition of the Kume: Turning Point Diaries podcast, we explore the practice of self and the power of journaling. We introduce the MyKume Journal, a new tool designed to provide a consistent and introspective practice in your life through its many phases and transitions. Throughout the episode, we discuss the inspiration b...

Today, we are privileged to have Abou Sow, the owner of Prince Abou's Butchery —one of the few Black-owned butcher shops in New York. Abou descends from a line of pastoral people from West Africa and learned the craft from his uncle's business at the young age of 11. While he was initially reluctant to work in his uncle's shop, he now operates a successful butchery, which started fr...

W e start 2023 with a spirited conversation with Jenneh Kaikai, a self-taught baker, cake designer, and owner of Pelah Kitchen . In our conversation, Jenneh speaks candidly about her journey of building a business and brand rooted in her African heritage and investing in the communities there. We explore our identities and responsibilities as people of the African diaspora. Jenneh shares the princ...

We are excited and grateful to welcome back Kewulay Kamara, a fan favorite, master storyteller, and worldly scholar. Today's conversation is about freedom as a guiding principle in creating the life you want. We often talk about our hopes, dreams, goals, and the life we want, but we often don't connect these aspirations to freedom. However, living the life you wish usually means knowing...

'Take freely, give cheerfully' These are the words that welcome visitors to the Love Stand , a community pantry in Ypsilanti, Michigan. In this week's episode, we speak with Tyler Weston, steward of the pantry. Tyler shares a message you received from God one morning in March of 2020 that led him to turn the front porch of a neighborhood home into a food pantry. But this is not just...

This week we are getting on the mat with yoga teacher Victoria Rutledge. In our conversation, Victoria moves us through her yoga practice, from the moment she stepped into a studio to now guiding others through breath, body, and soul. For Victoria, yoga is a physical, intellectual, and creative endeavor. She talks about being a Black woman in a predominantly white wellness space, challenging the s...

This week we have a lively and hilarious conversation with comedian and fellow podcaster Meka Mo. In our conversation, Meka walks us through her comedic journey. She shares how she went from using humor as a weapon to defend herself to now using it as a tool to relate, heal and bring joy to others.  We also talk about owning your identity and taking your craft seriously. Meka’s cheerful spirit is...

We kick off season three with a rawly uplifting conversation with Jesse Wilson. In this episode, Jesse opens up about his upbringing in an intense religious organization, the epicenter of the ecumenical charismatic renewal movement of the 1970s and 80s; his strange mini-celebrity status as “The Obedient Child” and his nearly 20-year career as a full-time pastor. He also talks about the moment he d...

In season three, we strive to know ourselves more. We are connecting with our inner child, making room for grace, prioritizing joy, and learning how to safeguard our personhood.  Join us as we gift ourselves and each other of healing that can be experienced once our wholeness is embraced and shared.  We begin sharing this Tuesday, October 26. Listen to the trailer above and keep the conversation g...

We are officially done with our second season! For the season finale, we’ve compiled excerpts from both seasons 1 and 2. These are the conversations we rarely have, truths we never dare to say out loud, and the fears we bury deep, but something miraculous happens when we are allowed the space to tell our stories. In this episode, our guests share their revelations, transformations, and affirmation...

This week we have an enlightening conversation with Marius Iliescu about life transitions. Marius takes us on an epic career adventure from a high-flying corporate attorney to a tourism entrepreneur to now a mindfulness and personal development coach. He tells us about the moment he decided to abandon the vain pursuit of material success and began to own his calling. Marius’s journey urges us to p...

This week we speak with Cielo Villa, a trailblazing entrepreneur with a bold vision to revolutionize college access. Cielo is the founder of Road to Uni , a free online resource that acts as a supercharged and hyper-accessible college counselor, open to all. In our conversation, she shares her fascinating, winding journey into entrepreneurship. Cielo details some of the most painful moments of her...

There’s no denying that money plays a significant role in our everyday lives, yet many of us are uncomfortable talking about it. This week our guest Rosa Colin, ASW, talks openly and vulnerably about her journey with money. Rosa is a social worker with a passion for personal finance. For Rosa, the value of money took on a whole new meaning once she began to take charge of her finance. In our conve...

Knowing and accepting ourselves unconditionally is not a one-time event, but a continuously unfolding reality. In this episode, I dive into the concept of nyerelon , which means self-knowledge in my familial language of Kuranko from West Africa. I take you on the journey that led me to seek therapy and the discoveries I have made along the way. I share some aha! moments and owning my identity as a...

Do you think you’ve met the love of your life? Stop. Step back. In this week’s episode, guest Anthea Taeuber tells a cautionary tale of love and manipulation. What began as a fun and exhilarating courtship quickly descended into something unloving and dangerous. She walks us from the moment her ex-boyfriend’s mask slipped and she saw and felt the violence within him, to the day she broke free from...

This week we explore the topic of healing with Dr. Worokya Duncan, Ed. D. Worokya is a professional educator, wife, and mom of four. In our conversation, she shares the most intimate, personal, and complicated details of her dual upbringing in America and Liberia, which shaped the compassionate person she is today. Worokya also opens up about a sensitive, yet important topic; sexual abuse. With gr...

At times like this when there is a call for accountability around anti-Asian sentiments and racist violent acts, we need to elevate the voices of Asian people. This week we have a timely conversation with Carolyn Tran, a single mom running for New York City Council in District 25 in Queens. The daughter of refugees from Vietnam, Carolyn shares her journey of developing her own politics and values...

In this week's episode, we are talking about loving your life and not chasing someone else’s with Liyah Washington, a young professional with a moving life story. In our conversation, Liyah walks us through her childhood in foster care and how that particular part of her life taught her the importance of gratitude and being content. This is a source of knowledge that has aided her in becoming...

We kick off season two with an enlightening conversation with my dear friend Aminata Dia, a design thinking consultant residing in Dakar, Senegal. Aminata opens up about the first time she wore a hijab in Paris and how it dramatically changed her lived reality.  In between, Aminata talks about her marriage and divorce in June 2019, her failures and insecurities, and what she has learned in the pro...

This season we journey through experiences that altered our lived realities. We also make space for lessons learned along the way. Join us as we explore the untold moments that shaped our character, vision, and values. We are reflecting all season, and it all starts this Tuesday, February 23. Here's a preview.  JOIN THE MAILING LIST: https://www.kumehouse.com/ Kume: Turning Point Diaries IG:...

This episode draws from a profound conversation I had on  Instagram Live with my storyteller father, Kewulay Kamara, back in April, about family history and community, and its relevance to the difficult times we are living in. He encourages us to celebrate change. Everything is going through changes and we need to learn to be comfortable with change and uncertainty. This is the time to have faith-...

What happens when you get two Finahs in a room? They tell stories. This week's episode is a genuine conversation between our host and her storyteller father, Kewulay Kamara, about their dynamic relationship. They discuss significant turning points in their father-daughter relationship and the differences they see in those stories. Along the way, they uncover the hidden assumptions that underl...

This week we have a fun, honest, and inspiring conversation with Sia and Tommy Tarawalie, a young African couple on the move. Sia and Tommy co-host Shifting Perspectives podcast, where they share their experiences growing up in West African households and challenge many of the beliefs and norms that they were raised with. In our conversation, Sia and Tommy reflect on their childhoods in urban and...

We have all heard the phrase “when life gives you lemons make lemonade”, right?  Well, making lemonade is not always the easiest thing to do. In this week’s episode, we have an inspiring conversation with Susan V. Wheeler about the lemons thrown her way and how she was able to use them to make her life sweeter. Susan is a life-long entrepreneur, mindset coach, author of ' The Lemonade Diet ,&...

In this week’s episode, we sit down with a Renaissance man, Erik Goldman. Erik is a musician, medical journalist, and editor and co-founder of Holistic Primary Care - News for Health  & Healing. He talks about the struggle of being authentic to himself and forging his own path over following his father’s wishes of him becoming a physician. In between, he shares his reflections on this current...