Cake Therapy

Imagine a classroom where every question is welcome, the instructor looks like you, and code feels less like a wall and more like a door. That’s the world Victoria Kyereme is building with Girls Dream Code, and it started with her own winding path from pre-pharmacy to computer science—and the stubborn belief that belonging should not be a lottery. We talk about the moments that shaped her: arrivin...

Ever wondered what happens when therapy moves from the couch to the kitchen? We sit down with licensed clinical social worker and culinary therapist Mercedes Tiggs, founder of Eight16 Culinary Therapy, to explore how mindful cooking can transform anxiety, build confidence, and knit communities back together. Rooted in the legacy of her grandmother’s Sunday dinners and a foster care upbringing, Mer...

A dream of psychology turned into a love affair with sculpted sugar. We sit with Barbadian cake artist Gayrielle Harper to unpack how a gap-year culinary course sparked a 3D cake career that thrives on trust, humor, and the courage to price what craft really costs. From handbags and cars to interactive elements that surprise guests, Gayrielle shares why challenge fuels her creativity and how simpl...

Healing doesn’t have to shout to be powerful. Sometimes it looks like a steady whisk, a kitchen scale, and the quiet joy of a macaron rising just right. We sit down with Joy Marsh—social scientist, strategist, and the heart behind Minneapolis’s Blissful Cakery—to talk about the craft of staying whole while doing hard things. Joy has led transformational change inside city government, healthcare, a...

What happens when your spark fades but your calling won’t stay quiet? We sit with author and strategist Octavia McIntosh to trace the honest arc from high-output corporate life to designing a freedom-aligned business that doesn’t demand constant presence. Octavia opens up about the subtle signs of burnout, the two-year inner conversation that led to her “I’m out” moment, and the practical blueprin...

Cake is invited to life’s biggest moments, yet the artists who make it are often asked to accept bargain pricing, rushed timelines, and invisible labor. Dr. Altreisha Foster sits down with returning guest Jasmine Rae, fine art cake designer and instructor, to name that disconnect out loud and map a path forward through Cake Circle, a new community she is building with Azara of Milkmoon Kitchen. We...

Jasmine Rae, the genius behind Jasmine Rae Cakes, joins us on the Cake Therapy Podcast to share her extraordinary journey from an art-loving child to the Most Unique Luxury Wedding Cake Designer in the United States. Immerse yourself in her world as Jasmine reflects on her early days, where her quiet nature and inquisitive mind wove together a love for architecture, art, and the stars. Her first f...

Dive into the comforting world of baking therapy with our season three opener, Kareem, better known as Mr. Bake. His journey from the bustling streets of Harlem to recognized baker and community advocate encapsulates the dynamic relationship between food and emotional wellness. With a rich tapestry of family recipes and modern desserts, Kareem reveals how baking transcends mere cooking—it's a...

A cease and desist can feel like a career-ending punch, but what if it’s also the moment you finally build the brand you were meant to lead? I’m joined by Callie Simons, the founder and creative force behind Created by CTB (many of you first knew her as Cal the Baker), and she tells the real story behind her rebrand, the trademark opposition that forced a sudden stop, and how she turned that disru...

She went to urgent care for breathing trouble and ended up in the ICU with an A1C of 11.7 and blood sugar at 671 and still tried to negotiate her way back to work. That jolt turned into a real-life reset for Porsha Kimble, the artist many of you first met as the Cake Diva, and the story behind her most powerful reinvention yet.  We talk with Porsha about the night she woke up in the hospital askin...

What happens when a childhood sweet tooth becomes a lifelong calling—and a business that puts people first? We sit down with Emily “Cookie” Henegar, the Nashville-based cookie designer behind Cookie in the Kitchen, to unpack how an 11-year-old baker turned porch pickups into a brand known for bold colors, clean lines, and cookies that tell stories. From early kitchen lessons with two very differen...

What if the thing that steadies you is already in your hands? We sit down with Idah—Zimbabwean-born, Madison-based software engineer and buttercream florist—to trace how a bout of postpartum blues met a 3 a.m. Instagram scroll and bloomed into Mai Lara’s Bouqcakes. Through lifelike cupcakes that look like floral bouquets, she pieces together memory, identity, and rest, turning the kitchen into a s...

What happens when architecture, grief, and grit collide in a cake studio? We sit down with Titilayo of Yummy Tecture to unpack a rare, unfiltered blueprint for building a creative business that actually works. From arriving in the U.S. after losing her sister to honoring that legacy through architecture school, then shifting toward culinary arts, Titi shows how a clear eye for structure and speed...

What if a cake could give you back your sense of control? We sit down with Dr. Nneka Anuma—Nigerian American cake artist, educator, and PhD in multidisciplinary human services—to explore how baking became her refuge, her business, and her bridge from heavy frontline work to moments of joy. From a childhood filled with art supplies and oven hunts in Nigeria to a bold ask at Dairy Queen that launche...

What if your kitchen could quiet anxiety and spark connection at the same time? We sit down with Chef Melanie Underwood—culinary educator, mindfulness teacher, and founder of Nourish and Gather—to explore how cooking, gardening, and simple rituals transform everyday meals into meaningful self-care. From farm roots and family dinners to high‑pressure hotel kitchens and meditation, Melanie shares th...

A salty first batch of cookies, a cross-continental childhood, and a decision to walk away from nursing—Salome’s path to Afua's Sweets is equal parts grit and grace. We sit down with the Ghanaian cake artist to unpack how culture, constraint, and courage shaped a business that blends bold flavor with delicate technique. Salome traces the roots of her palate from Ghana’s tropical brightness to...

Beauty lives in the smallest details, and sometimes those details become a life. We welcome Gabby from Rosa’s Cakes in New Orleans—a self-described non-cook who transformed a love of clay miniatures into intricate fondant toppers, sought-after treat sets, and a thriving home-based bakery with her mom, Rosa. While preparing for an approaching hurricane, Gabby opens up about resilience, family legac...

A thriving ad agency, a growing ache, and a leap into the unknown. That’s the backdrop for our conversation with Jamaican wood artisan Tamara Harding, whose purpose found her in the grain of fallen trees and the quiet of a bamboo-lined workshop. She didn’t tinker her way into a craft; she built a values-first brand, wrote a business plan, and let the material lead. The result is a body of work tha...

What if the most healing room in your home isn’t the one with the couch, but the one with the stove? We sit down with Charlotte Hastings, the pioneering force behind Kitchen Therapy, to explore how simple, hands-on cooking can lower anxiety, unlock conversation, and guide people back to trust and connection. From a childhood marked by trauma to eight years of sobriety, Charlotte shares how food be...

Season four starts with a warm whisk of honesty, relief, and purpose. Dr. Altreisha Foster shares a heartfelt update on her mom’s recovery and how the kitchen became a steady anchor during Hurricane Melissa, setting the tone for a year that favors truth over polish. We revisit how Cake Therapy Foundation grew from two students to serving 75 girls across Minnesota, and why simple tools, reliable re...

What if the sweetest way to learn money basics starts with a whisk? We sit down with journalist and producer Leah Sherman to trace a winding path from PR to newsroom, then into the kitchen where baking becomes a refuge, a love language, and a vivid toolkit for storytelling. Leah opens up about studying psychology and economics, learning to see how media shapes identity, and translating those insig...

A whisk, a visa, and a vision. That’s how Chef Noel Cunningham went from Kingston kitchens to Canadian acclaim—building a culinary brand that balances savory discipline, pastry creativity, and deeply human storytelling. We sit down with Noel to trace the line from Sunday dinners with his mom and aunt to high-pressure hotel brigades, early media buzz, and a pandemic pivot that made cake both a busi...

Four high school friends reunite to discuss the transformative power of female friendships spanning three decades, exploring vulnerability, support, and sisterhood in a world that often pits women against each other. • Security and honesty form the foundation of non-competitive female friendships • The "no new friends" philosophy reflects the deep work required to build authentic connect...

In this heartfelt conversation with cake designer Erseline Principaal, founder of La Dent Sucrée , we explore the surprising therapeutic power of baking and entrepreneurship. Erseline's journey begins on a farm in Aruba, where pre-dawn baking sessions with her father shaped both her work ethic and baking skills. Though his traditional stone oven might have seemed outdated to some, the values...

When passion meets purpose, transformation happens. That's exactly what Marcia Fraser-Cummings brings to her students at Jamaica's University of Technology, where baking isn't just taught as a vocational skill but as a pathway to empowerment and emotional well-being. Fraser-Cummings shares her remarkable journey from academic studies to pursuing her true calling in baking technology...