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Sharing about a BIG shift in direction for me, the things that want to pull me back, and how I know that this is the right way to go. Some things you can take from this to help you decide what to do when you are pulled in multiple directions. SUBSCRIBE to get notified when new minisodes drop! Rate and review so others can find the show. Connect with me on Instagram at @kristiniris If you want a little help getting clear on what you want for your life and future get my FREE workbook for Black creatives Create Your Future Vision at www.kristiniris.com/vision

Sharing my thoughts on the passing of Chadwick Boseman, his impact on Black people worldwide, and being mindful of speaking for the dead. SUBSCRIBE to get notified when new episodes drop. If you enjoy the show rate and leave a review! Follow on Instagram - @kristiniris 

You ever notice how the “wellness” industry is just sooo white? It isn’t that there aren’t Black teachers, healers, and leaders out there, it’s that they’re not getting the same face time as their white counterparts. Then there’s the HIGH cost creating a high barrier or entry for the communities that most need care. This week’s guest, Lestraundra Alfred, is working to change that. Founder of Balanced Black Girl, Lestraundra works to highlight the Black womxn leaders in health and wellness and discuss some of the many issues we Black folx face in navigating a white dominated and classist industry. Listen as we talk wellness, Black joy, and changing how we care for ourselves! Lestraundra is a Social Media Manager, Podcast Host, experienced corporate communicator and wellness advocate. She started her first blog The Balanced Berry in 2014 to share her love of fitness and nutrition with others. After years of feeling dissatisfied with the lack of diversity in wellness content shared on large platforms, she pivoted to create Balanced Black Girl Podcast in 2018. Balanced Black Girl is a lifestyle brand that provides content and experiences empowering women of color to live their healthiest lives. Connect with Lestraundra at: Balanced Black Girl Podcast Instagram.com/balancedles Instagram.com/balancedblackgirlpodcast If you enjoyed the show make sure you rate and review to help others find it and... SUBSCRIBE to get bonus limited-time minisodes when they release! Join The Melanated Rising House - our dope ass community for Black creatives at: https://melanatedrising.mn.co/ Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!)

Every year I choose one word as my theme or focus for the year. For 2020 I have two words and I chose five support words that work for both to keep me focused and living my themes. In this solo episode I share my two themes and support words and why they will take me to my next level. We’re continuing this conversation inside The Melanated Rising House - our dope ass community for Black creatives. Join at: https://melanatedrising.mn.co/ If you enjoyed the show make sure you rate and review to help others find it and... SUBSCRIBE to get bonus limited-time minisodes when they release! Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!)

What if you had an idea that could change the way people relate to the land, the ways we handle disaster relief, and even change the future of the formerly incarcerated? Could you sit on it? Hold out due to fear? This week’s guest David Jones, lives his life staying curious, pursuing new careers, and using his brilliant mind and ideas to create change for marginalized communities and countries. He is a living example of going beyond what everyone else tells you is possible. David Jones is a technologist, inventor and CEO/Founder of Lite Injen Labs He is a Polyglot, has traveled to 72 countries, and is a self-taught software developer. He attended the Juilliard School-BFA for Film Score Composition, attended Airline Training Professionals and is a Certified Flight Instructor, and he’s a Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Dropout. Connect with David at: On Facebook david@liteinjenlabs.com We’re continuing this conversation inside The Melanated Rising House - our dope ass community for Black creatives. Join at: https://melanatedrising.mn.co/ If you enjoyed the show make sure you rate and review to help others find us and... SUBSCRIBE to get bonus limited-time minisodes when they release! Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!)  

I’ve had a complex relationship to community throughout my life. Community can be both powerful and complicated for Black folx who were both dispersed and pushed together in marginalized groups. In this solo episode I share about my experiences in community and now building a community of my own, and I discuss the dynamics and complexities of community and Blackness. All to explore the question: What does healthy community look like? If you enjoyed the show make sure you rate and review to help others find it and... SUBSCRIBE to get bonus limited-time minisodes when they release! Join The Melanated Rising House - our dope ass community for Black creatives at: https://melanatedrising.mn.co/ Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris

Today's bonus episode is a special announcement. I've been working hard the last couple months on designing an online community space tailor-made for Black creatives and our unique needs. It's finally here!!! Today I am introducing The Melanated Rising House - a dope ass space for Black creatives who want to make an impact! Hear all about it in this bonus episode. Join The Melanated Rising House at: https://melanatedrising.mn.co/

Can one voice create change? One story? What about 10 or 100 together? Omkari Williams joins me today for a conversation on the power of our individual and collective stories to change policy and change peoples view of us and the world. There is a power in telling your story, a power in reclaiming your voice, a power in living your right to be seen and heard. Omkari Williams is a speaker, writer and certified creativity and life coach. Her passion is teaching women to use their stories as a tool in changing social policy. Omkari says, “Our stories are bridges between us and others and can be immensely powerful in creating societal change. Yet women’s stories have been neglected. When we learn how to leverage our collective stories we can create meaningful change and help bring justice to the world.” She loves gathering stories from people she meets and inspiring them to take action. She also loves traveling to foreign countries and visiting as many churches, museums, and holy places as she can find. Her writing has been featured online by Elephant Journal, My Empowered World, Women For One, and Tattooed Buddha and in print by Savannah Magazine and Paprika Southern. Connect with Omkari at: www.omkariwilliams.com www.instagram.com/omkari_williams  Get my free video for Black Writers - 3 Key Elements To a Powerful Story at: www.kristiniris.com/3keys If you enjoyed the show make sure you SUBSCRIBE and rate and review to help others find it and… Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!)

I’m taking you on a journey today. Taking inspiration from Courtney Alexander in episode 40 (go listen) I am sharing with you some of the changes and work I’m doing on myself to get myself ready for what I’m creating next year. You have to realize that who you are now is not who you will be when you reach them. The things that got you here are not necessarily what will take you to your next level. You have to actively work toward your next evolution. Listen as I share the old ways of being and doing that I’m letting go of, and the things I’m doing to become who I need and create what I want, and how you can do this exploration for yourself. As we come to the end of the year and look forward to future goals this is the time to ready yourself for them. If you enjoyed the show make sure you rate and review to help others find it and... SUBSCRIBE to get bonus limited-time minisodes when they release! Get your Create Your Future Vision - Free Workbook for Black Creatives at: www.kristiniris.com/vision Get my free video for Black Writers - 3 Key Elements To a Powerful Story at: www.kristiniris.com/3keys Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!)

Giving you a slightly different flavor today on Melanated Rising. In honor of National Novel Writing Month I invited one of my oldest and closest friends (and writing buddy), Tranette Latrice Williams, on the show to talk about story, writing, challenging yourself, and broadening the scope of Black storytelling. Full of fun banter, laughter, and tales of old, listen in on two Black women writers working to decolonize our minds and our writing. Side note: Apparently we’re two old biddies who can’t remember years because we actually did NaNoWriMo for the first time in 2009 not 2012 (but 2012 was an epic year for finishing as you’ll hear). Connect with Tranette at: www.instagram.com/black_teena_marie Join her for weekly Wednesday write-ins at Motorhouse, 120 W. North Ave. Baltimore, MD Get my free video for Black Writers - 3 Key Elements To a Powerful Story at: www.kristiniris.com/3keys If you enjoyed the show make sure you SUBSCRIBE and rate and review to help others find it and… Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!)

It's a Halloween minisode! And I am talking about using this time as we step into the dark of the year to assess where you really want to go and what needs to die for you to get there. Subscribe to catch these bonus episodes when they release! Minisodes are only available for 5 days! If you enjoy the show rate and leave a review! Follow on Instagram to catch live recordings of these episodes @kristiniris Get your Create Your Future Vision - Free Workbook for Black Creatives at: www.kristiniris.com/vision Please share the show! Use #MelanatedRising on social

Pain and trauma are part of our human experience, especially for Black folx. Aside from incidental pain from our individual experiences we also carry generational trauma. Trauma and pain can be healed but sometimes we hold onto our pain and it becomes a crutch. Today I deep dive into how and why you may be attached to your trauma, the social and cultural elements that exacerbate this for Black folx, what to do about it so you can live more freedom. If you enjoyed the show make sure you rate and review to help others find it and... SUBSCRIBE to get bonus limited-time minisodes when they release! Get your Create Your Future Vision - Free Workbook for Black Creatives at: www.kristiniris.com/vision Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!)

In our society we have a skewed idea of light and dark, good and bad, that translates even to how we relate to skin color and the place it puts you in society. We also have some extremely violent, ingrained ideas about fat bodies—Black bodies in particular—that we need to get very honest about in order to create change. In this week’s episode Courtney Alexander, creator of the Dust II Onyx tarot deck, joins me to discuss light and dark, spirituality, and defying the expectations and harm imposed on fat Black womxn through art, expression, and love. She also gives some major manifesting tips for Black folx in particular that defies the mainstream white [supremacist] spiritual teachings. Courtney Alexander is a multimedia artist, writer, and publisher with a Bachelor’s in Studio Art from the University of South Florida, living and working in Tampa, FL. Alexander’s work began with decontextualizing issues of duality, hypersexuality, and self-awareness through exploration of fatness; a personal dialogue which served to facilitate vulnerability and explore the complex nature of her existence. In 2016, Alexander made history as the first black person to successfully publish and distribute a tarot deck, the widely acclaimed Dust II Onyx—crowdfunding over via Kickstarter. Through a series of 78 mixed media paintings, she collects the shards of her identity as a black/fat/queer woman and pieces them into a mosaic of works that present blackness as universal-spirit. “I reimagine a timeless ancient world intrinsically intertwined in this modern realm, birthed from a place of nothingness that is also simultaneously everything. A non-binary world where I see myself, reflections of blackness, and darkness, as powerful and eternal.” She is dedicated to the reclamation of public and art spaces for black folks and other marginalized viewers through creating participatory displays of transformation and liberation. Connect with Courtney at: www.dust2onyx.com instagram.com/dust2onyxtarot/ If you enjoyed the show make sure you rate and review to help others find it and... SUBSCRIBE to get bonus limited-time minisodes when they release! Get your Create Your Future Vision - Free Workbook for Black Creatives at: www.kristiniris.com/vision Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!)

Here’s one we’re all familiar with: Fear of Failure! Everyone has experienced it but the truth it no one really knows what it is. See, the fear of failure isn’t actually about failure. In this solo episode I breakdown what the fear of failure really is and the ways it shows up that you may not even realize are holding you back. I also share how systemic oppression and generational survival conditioning of the Black diaspora exacerbate our “fear of failure” and how to navigate through so you can put your great plans into motion! If you enjoyed the show make sure you rate and review to help others find it and... SUBSCRIBE to get bonus limited-time minisodes when they release! Get your Create Your Future Vision - Free Workbook for Black Creatives at: www.kristiniris.com/vision If you are a book or script writer and want help with your story or writing learn more about my Story Consulting Services by emailing me at: kristin@kristiniris.com Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!)

I don’t care what anyone says, hair is important. Especially for Black women who are constantly battling anglo-beauty standards and stigmas around our natural hair. How do you build confidence in the Beauty of your Blackness? Lulu Pierre founder of Boho Locs joins me today to talk about her brand of high-quality synthetic locs made “for us by us”. We talk natural hair journeys, hair stigma, and building confidence in our own beauty through protective styles like locs that also celebrate Black hair. Lulu Pierre is an entrepreneur, natural hair enthusiast, number one bestselling author, Christian and all around good girl who is completely and utterly obsessed with creating quality crochet locs. In the pursuit of the perfect look for her own natural girls who want natural-looking locs, she founded Boho Locs in 2016 and they have only just begun! They’ve curated a collection that helps even the most discerning slay. All. Day. Connect with Lulu at: www.Boholocs.com www.instagram.com/boholocs Facebook Group: Boho Locs Gang If you enjoyed the show make sure you rate and review to help others find it and... SUBSCRIBE to get bonus limited-time minisodes when they release! Get your Create Your Future Vision - Free Workbook for Black Creatives at: www.kristiniris.com/vision Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!)

It has been one year since I shared the story of my rape online. In this episode I reflect on the experience of speaking up, the fear of repercussions, and how speaking my truth and sharing my story changed the way I show up in the world. As Black folx our voices, stories, and experiences MATTER. If you have a story to share or a truth to tell there are reasons you may be holding back. I also explore why it’s hard for us to tell our stories, why it is so powerful when we do, and some advice on how to bring your story into the world. You can see the original post here. If you are a writer and have a story to share (either as a book or screenplay) and you’d like to know more about my Story Development Services email me at: kristin@kristiniris.com If you enjoyed the show make sure you rate and review to help others find it and... SUBSCRIBE to get bonus limited-time minisodes when they release! Get your Create Your Future Vision - Free Workbook for Black Creatives at: www.kristiniris.com/vision Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!)

You know that quote "You have the same 24 hours in a day as Beyonce"? Yeah, that's crap. We don't have the same team or resources that Beyonce has and that makes a BIG difference. However, you do get to choose what you prioritize with the time you have. Listen in for my tips on how to maximize your time and prioritize what will move you forward. Subscribe to catch these bonus episodes when they release! Minisodes are only available for 5 days. Then you can only access them as a patron on my patreon at: www.patreon.com/melanatedrising If you enjoy the show rate and leave a review! Follow on Instagram to catch live recordings of these episodes @kristiniris Get your Create Your Future Vision - Free Workbook for Black Creatives at: www.kristiniris.com/vision #MelanatedRising

We put a lot of stock in what others think. Guess what? Everyone is judging you and you cannot be what everyone wants nor what they expect and once you realize that it frees you to show up as you are. In this episode I break down how you may be shaping yourself and your actions based on what you think people think, the impact of the real dangers in navigating the world while Black, and some key tips that will help you let go of others judgements and show up more fully as YOU! If you enjoyed the show make sure you rate and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to help others find it! Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!) Get your Create Your Future Vision - Free Workbook for Black Creatives at: www.kristiniris.com/vision Connect with me at www.kristiniris.com

There is a cycle of fatherlessness and trauma impacting our Black men all around the world. How does this harm both the family structure and male identity? This is what we explore in this episode which features my first male guest on the show! L.T. Bourne joins me today to share about his trauma growing up fatherless and gives a call-in to Black men to talk about their trauma, explore different views of what manhood means, and break the toxic cycles. This episode is packed with discussion on family, community, manhood and returning to our roots. L.T. “Leo” Bourne discovered in his early 20s his gift of inspiration and leadership. He founded Open Thought, a non-profit organization created for youth development in the Turks and Caicos Islands, to give the youth a voice and an outlet to express themselves. L.T. believed creating Open Thought would inspire youth to overcome circumstances they are facing by giving them a platform to express themselves. His Upcoming book "It's Not A Man's World" discusses the challenges of living life without a father, being raised by a woman as a man. His mission is to start the conversation: The road to manhood without having a father in the home. Weaving a tapestry of his lifetime of experience, L.T. plans to inspire youth with his personal story and lessons learned about personal development, leadership, and the power of using open-thinking to live a more fulfilling life. Connect with L.T. at: www.twitter.com/IAmLTBourne www.instagram.com/IAmLTBourne www.facebook.com/IAmLTBourne Pre-Order L.T.'s book "It's Not A Man's World" HERE! If you enjoyed the show make sure you rate and review to help others find it and... SUBSCRIBE to get bonus limited-time minisodes when they release! Get your Create Your Future Vision - Free Workbook for Black Creatives at: www.kristiniris.com/vision Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!)

Who do you follow? Who do you consider a leader? As Black folx we need to learn from, follow, and be guided by people who look like us. In this solo episode I go hard on the white dominated coaching industry and why Black folx need Black coaches. I share my experience with two really good white privilege having coaches who still did harm to me as a Black woman and why, despite how much I gained, I knew I couldn't work with white coaches anymore. A lot changes and opens up when we look to people who understand our experience as Black people navigating the world. This applies to every industry. If you enjoyed the show make sure you rate and review to help others find it and... SUBSCRIBE to get bonus limited-time minisodes when they release! Check out my 8-week group program for Black creatives – From Oreo To Empowered at: www.kristiniris.com/oreo Please share the show with others! Use #MelanatedRising on social and tag me on Instagram @Kristiniris (follow me there!)