The Homesickness Cure

The Homesickness Cure is going on hiatus. But don't panic yet :). Listen to this episode to learn why and what's in store for the future. Thanks so much for the support so far. I love you all! xoxoxo the Navigating Culture podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/navigating-culture/id1572883375 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4PLWRpbCAFLP7fPZIvfZpC All Podcasts: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1751977/episodes

Intro When Natalya was a little girl, she couldn’t forget the reaction of her grandmother upon visiting her. After a long time of not being able to see her, her grandmother was shocked and almost griefed that Natalya had grown a head full of curly hair. This is because growing up in the apartheid regime in South Africa, having straight hair meant that you can get better educational opportunities and better treatment from society in general. At such a tender age, Natalya learned that even something as personal as your own hair can be the measurement of one's worthiness. Later on, Natalya would redeem her identity through the one many things that the apartheid regime denied her of – enjoying her own natural, curly, dark hair. In this episode, Natalya talks about her experience as a child coming out of the apartheid regime in South Africa and then migrating to Australia. She also opens up about her struggles with self-acceptance and how you can help yourself be more comfortable in your own skin, no matter what community you find yourself in. Guest Bio Natalya Moosa is an educator and digital marketing consultant currently based in England. She helps business owners connect with, understand and empower their community by creating effective content marketing strategies. Key Takeaways From trying to fit in to finding confidence in your identity  [14:45] How Natalya’s natural hair journey helped in her self-acceptance  [18:18] Loving yourself inspires others to love themselves as well  [25:06] Advice to black women who find themselves immigrating to places where people are openly hostile to them  [28:18] Quotes “What I found is that oftentimes you put a lot of effort into fitting into a community and building values and belief systems that deny who you are, but in the end, the people who you are trying to please still don’t accept you.” [Anya, 17:09] “I gave myself permission to be an ambassador for myself and for what I believe I want to be and how I want people to be able to express themselves. I saw it as my duty to stand up and hold my head up high and take up the space that I was meant to fill.” [Natalya, 25:52] Live Your Best Life! Want to learn how to self-validate, let go of self-doubt, and figure out what a successful life looks like for you (not your parents)? Then download our complimentary audio guide here. Take the first step to living your own life beyond anyone else's expectations!

Intro There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be a strong and independent person, but it can become a toxic thing once we ignore our emotional needs and deny ourselves the help that we need. The immigrant experience is unique and can be complicated at times, and so trying to be independent from a community or from getting expert help may do you more harm than good. When we do not allow ourselves these moments of vulnerability, we put ourselves at risk of becoming even more vulnerable and confused about our immigrant journey and identity. And I’m here to tell you that it’s okay to get help. It’s healthy even to find someone who can help you with your journey in life as an immigrant and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. So how can you start this journey of healing and where can you find the help you need? In this episode, Latinx therapist Alejandra Peña talks about the unique struggles of being an immigrant and how therapy can help you overcome your emotional traumas and mental challenges. She also shares her top therapist directories and the kinds of questions you should be asking your therapist when coming in for a session. Guest Bio Alejandra Peña is a Latinx therapist based in Austin, Texas. She currently works at a local nonprofit that helps survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and is also specialized in counseling immigrants, LGBQ+, and survivors of PTSD and trauma. Key Takeaways Reasons why immigrants need therapy  [04:31] The taboo around therapy and why immigrants are finding it hard to go to therapy  [10:51] Benefits of looking for a therapist who share a similar story or experience as an immigrant  [16:42] Creating a checklist for the kind of therapist you want to work with  [17:27] Adapting to the dominant culture vs. Embracing your cultural identity  [23:26] Mental struggles that you experience when moving to a different country  [30:49] Questions to ask a therapist  [38:38] Recommended therapy directories  [45:03] Quotes “I do think that it's important to find a therapist that you can connect with and maybe has similar experience as you, and one that you can trust.”  [16:46] “Everybody's story is different. And there is going to be some sharing in therapy, so it'll be more straightforward and just safer with somebody who has a similar experience.”  [17:09] “Harm can also occur if a therapist does not understand or is not trained in working with immigrants.”  [19:53] “Therapy is supposed to be a safe space where you could really be yourself. And therapy doesn't have to feel like you, as a client, still needs to educate your therapist about your situation. And sometimes it can feel that way if there isn't that experience and that knowledge on the therapist’s part.”  [22:22] Live Your Best Life! Want to learn how to self-validate, let go of self-doubt, and figure out what a successful life looks like for you (not your parents)? Then download our complimentary audio guide here. Take the first step to living your own life beyond anyone else's expectations!

Intro Moving to a new country to start a new life is no easy feat. Whatever generation of immigrant you are, we’ve all experienced being underestimated or perhaps discriminated against because of our race or culture. Because of this, we might find ourselves over performing and always trying to please others so that we can survive, and to “prove people wrong” about their misconceptions about us. And we do not deserve that kind of stress in our lives. It might just be an internal pressure that pushes us to want to be perfect and infallible, but you have to know that you are already deserving of every good thing that you have in your life right now. In this episode, I’m going to share with you some insights that I’ve learned about self-care and how I teach myself to let go of perfectionism and be open to learning and making mistakes. Key Takeaways Try new things to grow  [03:09] Try new things just because!  [05:36] Mantras to help you let go of perfectionism  [07:21] Quotes “We should be trying new things often, so there's no shame in being a novice. Tell yourself this, when you start a new thing.”  [6:27] “Life, as I said before, is all about learning, growing, and finding new ways to find out who you really are.”  [7:50] Live Your Best Life! Want to learn how to self-validate, let go of self-doubt, and figure out what a successful life looks like for you (not your parents)? Then download our complimentary audio guide here. Take the first step to living your own life beyond anyone else's expectations!

Intro Have you ever struggled with finding a sense of belonging? Like wherever you go, whether you’re at school, in the workplace, or out there travelling, you just always feel out of place? Don’t worry, you’re not weird. I can relate with that. It's easy to spark a connection with someone as there are shared interests and experiences that we can always talk about such as music, our hobbies, or even current events. But once we run out of small talk, we begin to realize just how different we really are from the people outside of our home, and that can turn into a struggle for most of us. This becomes even more apparent when we’re out there, exploring the bigger world. And so how do we find that sense of belongingness when we’re far away from home? In this episode, Topaz Smith talks about her experience as a black woman travelling all over the world, the importance of understanding different cultures, and how she helps other immigrants and travellers find a community abroad. Guest Bio Topaz Smith is an experienced International Consultant, and also the Founder and CEO of EN-NOBLE, an app that helps travellers find community and explore different sub-cultures abroad. Learn more about Topaz and her business, En-Noble, here. Key Takeaways How your upbringing affects how you interact with the world  [05:13] Dealing with generational trauma  [08:00] How growing up in white spaces has moulded Topaz’s identity  [10:11] Why solo travel is such a transformational experience  [19:53] How to find different sub-cultures abroad  [24:58] Pros and cons of growing up in a multicultural community  [44:44] Quotes "Solo travel is a great way to figure out who you are and what you like, what you don't like, what your values are.” “I really feel like solo travel forces you to sit with yourself, and to ask yourself questions, because you're not attached to what the group is trying to say, or what the group wants to do that week or that hour.” “The purpose of travel is not to do what you do at home. It's different and you learn from it. That’s how you’re transformed." Live Your Best Life! Want to learn how to self-validate, let go of self-doubt, and figure out what a successful life looks like for you (not your parents)? Then download our complimentary audio guide here. Take the first step to living your own life beyond anyone else's expectations!