Our Mothers' Gardens

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><strong>“There are parts of my childhood that are points of pain for me. There are things that I wish had been different, and ways I wish had been treated, or things I wish had not been said to me. But I’ve realized that I can now do those things for myself.&nbsp;</strong></p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><strong>I don’t have to believe those things I wish&nbsp; hadn’t been said. And I can say those things to myself that I wish had been said. And it heals not only me in this moment, but it also does something to heal the girl that I was.&nbsp;</strong></p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><strong>That is my favorite part of mothering myself. The healing that doesn’t just go backward and forward, but also radiates out. Like I am healed in the present, but I am also more healed in the future, and there is a part of me that is healed in the past. And the people who are around me get residual healing from having been around me, and being able to bear witness to the way I treat myself.”</strong></p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In this episode I am in the garden with my daughters, Isys and Naomi, talking about the mothering experiences that have shaped me, and my philosophy around mothering them and their brothers.</p><p class="" data-rte-preserve-empty="true" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"></p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><em>Our Mothers’ Gardens is a Honeybunch of Stinkweed Production and features music produced by Ptah. Our Mothers’ Gardens is made possible in part by the generous donations of </em><a href="https://www.patreon.com/satyanelms"><em>patrons</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em><br></p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><strong>“You always want to make sure that we know how we want to be treated, and what’s ok with us and what’s not. You want us to care about ourselves and treat ourselves well.”</strong></p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In this episode we are in the garden with my 14 year old daughter Naomi Nelms. In this episode Naomi and I talk about the boundaries we must create to preserve our peace, and the necessary elements of a strong mother-daughter relationship. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><em>Our Mothers’ Gardens is a Honeybunch of Stinkweed Production and features music produced by Ptah. Our Mothers’ Gardens is made possible in part by the generous donations of </em><a href="https://www.patreon.com/satyanelms"><em>patrons</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em></p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><strong>“I’m supposed to be serving. I’m supposed to be speaking life into people, just like she spoke life into me. She was always serving people. She taught me that I’m supposed to be open to everybody, and love everyone. Not just the people who are blood. We’re all supposed to serve and help each other.”</strong></p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In this episode Mel Chanté shares her deep spiritual connection with her mother, and how her mother raised her to be thoughtful and intentional with her language. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Mel is a poet, author of Brown Butter and a multifaceted artist. Her soothing voice combines spoken word, storytelling and melody into a rhythmic experience. Originally from Boston, MA, Mel is currently living in Brooklyn. She’s the creator of self-talk platform, Vow to Self, and host of its podcast, and leads meditations on The Shine App. She's performed and toured in major cities across the U.S. and Europe, including NYC, Chicago, Charlotte, Atlanta, Copenhagen, Berlin and London. Last year, she released her debut EP, FLO, available on all music streaming services, and is currently working on a full-length album. For more on Mel, visit <a href="http://melchante.com/" target="_blank">melchante.com</a></p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><em>Our Mothers’ Gardens is a Honeybunch of Stinkweed Production and features music produced by Ptah. Our Mothers’ Gardens is made possible in part by the generous donations of </em><a href="https://www.patreon.com/satyanelms"><em>patrons</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em></p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><strong>“My mother’s roots gave me wings. I was deeply rooted. I had no reason to dig deeper into the soil. I could just start spreading my wings and reaching and looking up.”</strong></p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In this episode Dominique shares how the support and stability her mother and grandmother provided for her as she was growing up, gave her a freedom that she is incredibly grateful for, and hopes to pay forward. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Dominique (she/they) is a teacher, performer, and yogi whose work is rooted in her belief that art is a tool for liberation in life. Born and raised on Chicago’s south side, she now calls New York City home. Dominique has created and organized art/wellness events from free kids summer art day camps to anger processing workshops. Their biggest claim to fame is a golden ticket on American Idol Season 10 and a few viral videos on TikTok as @theunboundblossom . They are currently performing with a soul funk band “Off Center”, writing a collection of Afro futurist stories and teaching art and yoga all over the city.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><em>Our Mothers’ Gardens is a Honeybunch of Stinkweed Production and features music produced by Ptah. Our Mothers’ Gardens is made possible in part by the generous donations of </em><a href="https://www.patreon.com/satyanelms"><em>patrons</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em></p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">“I didn’t have to earn love. I didn’t have to prove that I was good enough. I just was. I was always good enough. My mother taught me that there’s always enough love to go around. You never run out of love.”</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In this episode I am in the garden with Kesha Bruce. She shares how the way her mother and grandmother raised her made her courageous and confident in who she was and is. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Kesha was born and raised in Iowa by a compassionate community of hippies and revolutionaries. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">She fell in love with drawing during a high-school art class and eventually decided to seek her fortune in the artworld.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">A week after graduating with a BFA in painting from The University of Iowa, Kesha sold everything she owned and bought a one-way ticket to New York City.&nbsp; </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">She landed in Brooklyn with a back-pack full of wrinkled clothes, 2 pairs of shoes, and $3000 in cash in her pocket from selling her car.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Not only did she survive, she managed to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from one of the most prestigious painting programs in the country and build a life for herself as a working artist. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In short, she’s been exhibiting her work and producing projects and exhibitions in the US and France for almost 20 years.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">You can find her artwork in the permanent collections of The Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture (aka The Blacksonian), the Amistad Center for Art and Culture, the U.S. Department of State Art in Embassies Program, and if you pay attention, you’ll spot a few of her paintings on the set of a Netflix movie or a Shonda Rhimes’ TV show.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In addition to her studio work, she’s one of the founders of Black Girl Basel- Miami Art Week’s premier gathering of Black-women artists, entrepreneurs, activists, cultural change-makers, and industry leaders from across the world.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">She also currently serves on the Board of Directors of Tessera Art Collective, a non-profit organization supporting the work and creative practices of womxn abstract artists of color.</p><p class="" data-rte-preserve-empty="true" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"></p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><em>Our Mothers’ Gardens is a Honeybunch of Stinkweed Production and features music produced by Ptah. Our Mothers’ Gardens is made possible in part by the generous donations of </em><a href="https://www.patreon.com/satyanelms"><em>patrons</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em></p>