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"Lazy" is a term that is frequently used to describe oneself, and others, who are not as productive as they think they should be. In our culture of overwork, people are expected to hustle and grind and keep up with all of the demands of life during every waking hour. In this conversation, we talk about the various ways that "laziness" has been weaponized and how we can use other words to take our time and our lives back. We also reveal how we're not morning people. This episode was originally recorded in 2020 and the topic was inspired by this Current Affairs piece: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/06/in-defense-of-laziness

In our latest episode we discuss the whole idea of society calling on us to be “The Best”. We experience this especially in schools, businesses, our careers, and other areas in our lives where we are constantly being told how we must be the best, we must strive to be “The Best” or we must have “The Largest...fill in the blank”. We share the pitfalls of this, for example how it creates competition which then creates other issues for us like lack of connection between us and how this is a systemic issue. We hope you’ll find value in what we shared, you’ll resonate with some of it, and it will inspire you to reflect on where in your own life this notion of being the best is present and you’ll begin to have conversations on this topic with people in your life. This episode was originally recorded in 2020.. Enjoy and be well!

We’re back with a brand new episode after our break. Do you know what weaponized gratitude is? Have you experienced it? In our latest episode we shared and discussed weaponized gratitude which is a major issue in the personal development industrial complex. It is a topic we are both passionate about and you’ll notice when you listen to the episode. We could have gone on and on, a lot of topics came up while recording and we’ll be discussing them in the future. We hope you’ll enjoy this episode, find it valuable and you’ll be inspired to take action in your life and have meaningful conversations on weaponized gratitude with family and friends. We believe that the more people become aware of this and share about it with others, there will be more awareness of the harm caused by weaponized gratitude and other types of spiritual bypassing. Enjoy and be well!

Do you practice self-care at work? Is this a foreign concept to you? If yes, you’re in the majority as most if not all of us have been taught there’s no such thing as caring for ourselves and our needs at work, whether we’re working for someone else or ourselves. In our latest episode which is our last one until we get back soon as taking a break is our way of caring for ourselves, we discussed self-care at work which is a foreign concept due to the system we live in. We hope you’ll find value in what we shared and you’ll be inspired to take action in your life to take better care of yourself at work. We’ll be back with more episodes where we’ll keep looking at areas of the personal development industrial complex and current events through a systemic lens. In the meantime we invite you to connect with us on our social media pages. We’d like to hear from you, write a review to share your thoughts with us, it’s also a great way for others to find our podcast thank you. Enjoy, be well and keep safe! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mysfit_island_podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mysfitislandpodcast

It’s been almost a month since the U.S. Capitol Insurrection and President Biden and Vice-President Harris have been sworn in. In this episode we shared our reflections on this horrific, traumatic and sad event in our country. Nadjejda shared her personal experience as someone who has lived through many coups d’états (coups)  and one she was personally impacted by in her homeland Haiti. We shared the need for truth and accountability, while also talking about how as Americans we must realize what we experienced is often the lived experiences of people of color and black people from other countries and how our own government often encourages and funds insurrections and coups in these countries. We couldn’t end the episode without acknowledging the trauma that many of the people in the U.S. Capitol that day and those watching from a distance experienced. We also touched upon the need for us to give ourselves the space to heal. We hope you’ll find this episode valuable and you’ll be inspired to take some actions in your life to care more for yourself, your loved ones, your fellow citizens, and people around the world.

What is your relationship with social media, mobile phones, television, and Zoom? How do you feel about using them? This episode was recorded in June 2020 but it has much relevance today, especially in light of recent national and international events. We’re also more than ever using technology to stay connected during this time of social distancing. But how much technology use is too much, and how can we maintain a sense of balance? We explore those questions and more. Here’s the title of the book that was mentioned at the end of the episode: The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World, by Adam Gazzaley and Larry D. Rose We hope you’ll enjoy this episode, find it valuable and you’ll be inspired to take action in your life to create or retain some balance. Enjoy and be well!

We recorded this episode a month before the beginning of Summer 2020 as you’ll notice when you listen to our opening and some topics we discussed. In this episode we shared about the importance of holding space, why it’s something that’s important and needed by all of us but most of us don’t know how to do because of what it requires. We hope listening to the episode; you’ll feel seen and heard if it resonates and if you’re one who struggles with holding space, you might feel inspired to begin the work that will help you hold space for others if it’s something you’d like to do. Overall, we hope all who listen will get the importance of holding space for each other. Enjoy and be well!

So here we are, the end of 2020 has arrived. This year has been a wild one. It has brought lots of loss, pain, suffering, love, determination and it shed light on many things we’ve collectively ignored for too long. We’re still learning, unlearning, and doing our best to remain grounded and engaged. In our last episode of the year we discussed our goal-oriented society, being gentle with ourselves, stopping the comparisons and saying no to the slogan “Finishing 2020 and Beginning 2021 strong”. While we’re not much into end of the year resolutions, this year even more we really just want to feel our way into the new year. During the episode Felicia read a blog post she wrote in 2016 on this topic with us entitled Savoring the New year. You can read it by clicking the following link: https://feliciabaucom.com/2017/01/savoring-the-new-year/ We hope you’ll enjoy the episode and find it valuable. May it inspire you as you say goodbye to 2020 and welcome to 2021. We also want to say we have special thoughts and prayers for those who lost loved ones this year, we know lots of people lost people they care about and the holiday season is especially a hard time for them. We’re grateful to you, our listeners, the frontline workers, the organizers and activists who showed up and continue to show up for humanity thank you! We’re wishing you and your family a joyful and safe holiday season. We wish you and your family a joyful & safe holiday season! Happy New Year! Enjoy and be well!

As many of us know we’re living in unprecedented times and while it’s really tough, we also know this year a lot of truths have been hidden in the current systems we live in have been revealed. Just like in our own lives, facing these uncomfortable truths is the only way we can experience systemic/real change which will lead to the healing and unity we keep hearing about. However too many of us are still asleep, uninformed or simply don’t care to know, we know facing uncomfortable truths is hard to do. We’re learning and doing our best to stay informed, it’s a journey. In this episode we talked about how it is hard to face the harsh parts in our history and some of the things that are still happening today which are uncomfortable. We also discussed why choosing to have the courage to face these uncomfortable truths is necessary and the only way we can truly be on the path to systemic change and healing. We hope you’ll find value in listening to this episode and you’ll be inspired to either continue or begin to face uncomfortable truths in your personal life, our country and world. We’d love to hear your thoughts by writing us a review thank you. Enjoy, be well and keep safe!

We recorded this episode when most of the country was experiencing lockdowns/shelter in-place due to the pandemic and some states like Florida were getting ready to start relaxing some of the restrictions. Due to the fears, restrictions, pain and loss we’re all experiencing as a collective and in some form as individuals; we’re witnessing lots of division due to the pandemic and it’s all over the media. In this episode we discussed the division that is happening, shared some of our insights and ways where all sides can feel seen and heard moving beyond our differences and acknowledged there are those who may never be willing to see it from another person’s point of view. We talked about individualism which is very much present especially now and the need for a collective consciousness. While this conversation is about the division during COVID-19, what we shared can be used in other topics like the current divide that we witnessed in the presidential election's campaign and results and is still our current reality. Keeping it real we are a divided nation. We hope sharing this will help others in their interactions with loved ones and others who don't share their views. We'd love to hear your thoughts by leaving us a review. Thank you. Enjoy and be well!

So finally Election Day arrived and is now over a week behind us, as we all know it took a few days for the presidential election to be decided. In this episode which we recorded the Sunday after the winner of the presidential election was announced and crowds were out in the streets in cities across the country celebrating the defeat of Donald Trump. We shared our reflections on the election results, the reactions and began discussing moving forward from this historic moment which is filled with hope, caution, and division. We hope you’ll find something that will inspire you to discuss with those in your life and you’ll also get the humor we expressed a few times during this episode due to the election results. We’d love to hear from you through a review and if you like what you heard, please share it with a friend. Thank you, enjoy and be well!

Spiritual bypassing which very much includes toxic positivity is rampant in the personal development industry; in this episode we chose to discuss its impact on us individually and collectively. Seeing examples of spiritual bypassing during the pandemic, our current racial reckoning, and this election cycle prompted us to have this important conversation we both care about. John Welwood who passed last year coined the term spiritual bypassing. Felicia found an article written by Diana Raab where she shared his definition of spiritual bypassing. According to her he “defined spiritual bypassing as using “spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep personal, emotional ‘unfinished business,’ to shore up a shaky sense of self, or to belittle basic needs, feelings, and developmental tasks.” Here’s the link to the article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-empowerment-diary/201901/what-is-spiritual-bypassing. We chose to discuss this topic coming from a place of love and wanting to bring awareness to this important subject. If you feel triggered while listening to the episode, we hope you’ll choose to keep an open mind and listen.  We hope you’ll be inspired to mindfully choose your spiritual teachers, be mindful in your spiritual practice and have conversations about this topic with the people in your life. We’d love to hear your thoughts by writing us a review.  Enjoy and be well!

Voter apathy and voter shaming aren't new during election seasons. This election season with the increase in division we're experiencing and so much at stake, we're seeing a lot more of both. In this episode we discuss both of these and share our thoughts, experiences, and suggestions on this important topic especially on voter shaming. While we know voting only won’t bring the real change we collectively need, we believe it is an important tool we must use and encourage all to let their voices be heard through their votes especially in this election. We also had some post-debate discussion from the first presidential debate. We hope you’ll find something you can relate to, learn something and you’ll be inspired to have your own discussions on this topic.

In the wake of George Floyd’s killings by police in Minneapolis and Amy Cooper calling the police on African American Christian Cooper at Central Park while he was bird-watching because it asked her to put her dog on a leash, we thought it was important to discuss racial biases. In this episode we shared the need for us to continuously uncover, acknowledge and release our racial biases by sharing some of our own biases and experiences. We felt it was necessary to talk about this important topic as we think the incident with Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper was a teachable moment especially when we’re going through a reckoning in race in the United States which is resonating around the world. The book Nadjejda mentioned in the episode is titled How To Be An Antiracist and the author is Ibram X. Kendi.

Dealing with burnout is challenging, even during a pandemic. When the lockdowns began people were immediately encouraged to do more work, read all of the books, finally get back into shape. The way our culture views work and productivity is so baked in that even during a health crisis and a time of uncertainty, people feel pressured to keep busy during all of their available time… if they have it. We believe it's absolutely fine, whether you’re an essential worker or working from home, to give yourself space to deal with the circumstances. We offer suggestions to prevent burnout during this unusual time.

Welcome to Mysfit Island Podcast, this is our first episode which is our introduction to our podcast. We’re Felicia Baucom and Nadjejda Chapoteau and we’re the podcast co-hosts. In this episode we shared about ourselves in terms of who we are, where we live, some of our passions/values, and what we do. We shared how and why we were inspired to create our podcast and what you can expect from it. You’ll be learning much more about us through our other episodes, we hope you’ll learn about yourself as well and will be open to another perspective when we share different perspectives. We hope you’ll enjoy our podcast and find value in it. We are excited to begin this journey and have you join us in it. Enjoy and be Well!