To Be Held

In this episode of To Be Held, we return after a necessary three-month hiatus to tend to grief and we feature an enlightening conversation with Shakira Bonique, a retired massage therapist turned culture strategist who guides recovering overachievers back to themselves through yoga, humor, and soul-deep storytelling. With her  Rhythmic Bloom method, she helps people release what is heavy and creat...

This month's episode, I connect with a warm and gentle spirit, my neighbor, Peregrine Bermas, a Chicago-born and bred clinical herbalist at Dirt & Free Herbal Arts, illustrator, and curious earthling invested in destabilizing colonial cosmology through community herbalism and art. You can learn more about their healing work and sign up for their Patreon at dirtandfree.world . In our outdoors chat,...

In this month's May episode, I sat down with the brilliant and genuinely cool Tiffany M. Griffin, CEO, Co-Founder, and Co-Owner of Bright Black, a North Carolina-based social enterprise based in Durham that pioneered the art of using scent to share positive stories about the beauty and brilliance of Blackness. Since launching in 2019, Bright Black has gained national and international notoriety, a...

This month's conversation is a heartfelt conversation with my friend Marqiece, a Georgia native who moved to North Carolina a few years ago. He spends his time hanging with friends and partners, hiking, playing video games, and being silly. Marqiece also leads a local, Black hiking group (Blk Hiking Club RDU) and spends his time during hikes wondering where the soundtrack playing in his head comes...

In the premiere episode of 'To Be Held,' host and producer, Aqiyla introduces herself and the profound journey that led to the creation of this storytelling project. Recorded in her makeshift home studio in Durham, North Carolina, she opens up about her experiences with intense grief, the loss of multiple loved ones, and the impact on her sense of self. She shares her struggles with vulnerability,...

Come take this journey with me as I explore the everyday acts of being held in our lives and the practice of being supported, comforted, and cared for in this rollercoaster of life. What does 'to be held' mean to you? Premiering March 20th, 2025. New episode every 3rd Thursday of the month.