Saying No is Essential to Your Happiness

Have you ever said yes to too many things and started to feel like you've over committed yourself? Have you ever said yes to a meeting that you knew you weren't going to be on time for? Have you ever said yes because you didn't want to hurt somebody's feelings or you wanted to please somebody?

Learning how to say no has been one of most liberating experiences of my life.  By unpacking the baggage I had around saying, “no,” I have found endless happiness :).

This week’s T.H.E. Celebration episode continues my Year of Balances by diving it:

  1. My journey of learning to say no.
  2. The ways we undermine our yeses by not saying no.
  3. Accessible, polite and well tested ways to say no.

- Please note: -

This episode and blog post is talking about “no” and “yes” in the context of time and life management.  I am not talking about “yes” and “no” in the context of abuse, assault, sexual violence, and consent.

In that context, it is a no unless there is ENTHUSIASTIC CONSENT.  Here are two great article/resources:

I Didn’t Say No But It Was Still Rape

5 Reasons Not Saying No During NonConsensual Sex Doesn’t Make You Weak

- End note -

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Want to take a deeper dive?  Listen to this week's podcast.

Or listen to it on iTunes.

Live and Online: Expression Session - March Edition (Featuring Shelby Birch)

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Live and Online: Expression Session is a monthly writing workshop which culminates in a featured performance by an internationally recognized artist.  This month, we’re excited to present Shelby Birch as our feature!

In anticipation of the event, Shelby joined me for an interview.  We talked all about her journey as a poet, her new book Lit, and of course, she spit some of her poems!

We went into depth about her ideas on love, womanhood, Blackness, awkwardness, and heartbreak. I can’t even describe how much fun this was. Tune in and get inspired!

For this week's Free Gift, Shelby is sharing a chapter from her fantastic new book Lit! To download it, click here or below.

HERE'S THE INTERVIEW:

Or LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW AS A PODCAST BELOW OR ON ITUNES.

Celebrating My Year of Expression

As you know, 2016 was my YEAR OF EXPRESSION! Today, I am Celebrating the amazing journey it has been :).  The Year of Expression took me to over 2 continents, 5 countries, and 12 cities.  I had many transformational moments and grew in beautiful and profound ways.

In this Celebration episode:

1. I share the story of what gave birth to my Year of Expression. 

2. I recap the journey and celebrate my proudest accomplishments. 

3. I offer my 6 Biggest Aha Moments from my Year of Expression. 

I got choked up while recording this one.  It is truly a beautiful journey.

Please join me in Celebrating My Year of Expression!

Want to take a deeper dive? Check out this week’s podcast! 

Prefer to listen on iTunes?

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Expression Session: Responses and Creative Action on Islamophobia

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This is a replay of the Expression Session Writing Workshop that took place on February 22, 2017. The program was sponsored by the California State University, Dominguez Hills Multicultural Affairs.

It was co-facilitated by Ramy Eletreby who is a queer Muslim Arab-American writer, performer, educator-facilitator in Los Angeles, California. Ramy’s writings have appeared on The Huffington Post, Queerty, KCET, and the award-winning blog Love Inshallah. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter at @dramarams to stay in the loop!

This writing workshop focused on creating a safe space to process and express on islam, islamophobia, community, and what we are feeling

Host: 
Tom Earl: Musician & Poet, CEO of Tom Earl Artist and Founder of T.H.E. Celebration Academy

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T.H.E. Celebration With Special Guest: Terna

This week, I had the pleasure to host a phenomenal and in depth interview with the amazing Terna, of (among many things) Coming Out Muslim. We had a deep dialogue with all about her insights and relationships with education, Islam, sexuality, health, healing, and self-care!

Terna is a Nigerian/ Liberian/American artist, facilitator and healer. She holds an MA in Counseling Psychology and Global Mental Health, and graduate degrees in International Conflict Analysis and Teaching.  She has worked as a public school teacher in New York, at the United Nations, and currently works to help survivors of homicide and victims of community violence.

Terna is also the co-writer of Coming Out Muslim: Radical Acts of Love,  which captures stories and experiences of being at the intersections of Islam and queerness and its relationship to family, lovers, one’s sense of self and relationship with our faith.

Get ready to be absolutely enthralled!

This interview is always available as a podcast!

Prefer to listen on iTunes?

Listening to Your Inner Voice


The answers that we seek are already within us.  All of the resources, the resourcefulness, the energy, and the time that you need to accomplish everything within your purpose is right there, already within you.

This understanding allows us to recognize the true potential we have within.  Along with this mindset, there are applicable and practical tools that you allow us to tap into the answers within.

One of the greatest assets and important skills to develop is listening to our inner voice.  A key to unlock that, is developing the questions we are asking.

Your free gift for this episode is the "Unlock Your Inner Voice Reflection Guide." 

Want to take a deeper dive? Check out this week's podcast!

Prefer to listen on iTunes?

Music Playlist: Suggested Best Of Erykah Badu

I posted on Facebook : What's your favorite Badu song? And you all delivered! The result was a collection of past and more current songs from this wonderful soul artist. The range of emotions from song to song is also so beautiful! Hope ya'll enjoy!!

In no particular order: 

  1. Other Side Of The Game
  2. Orange Moon
  3. Out My Mind, Just In Time
  4. Tyrone
  5. Green Eyes
  6. On and On
  7. Sometimes
  8. I Want You
  9. Love Of My Life
  10. You Got Me
  11. Window Seat
  12. Didn't Cha Know
  13. In Love With You
  14. Next Lifetime
  15. No Love

Listen to the playlist on Spotify or Youtube:

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Town Hall Dialogue on #MuslimBan, #TravelBan, #KnowYouRights

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This is a replay of the Live and Online Town Hall Dialogue that took place on February 8th, 2017. The program was sponsored by the California State University, Dominguez Hills Multicultural Affairs. 

Panelists: 
Hassan Shibly is a civil rights attorney, activist, and Executive Director of CAIR Florida. Contact: facebook.com/hshibly or www.cairflorida.org.

Aziza Hasan: Is the Executive Director of NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change. Contact: www.mjnewground.org.

Host: 
Tom Earl: Musician & Poet, CEO of Tom Earl Artist and Founder of T.H.E. Celebration Academy. 

Live and Online: Expression Session - February Edition (Featuring Ebony Payne-English)

Live and Online: Expression Session is a monthly writing workshop which culminates in a featured performance by an international recognized artist.  This month we are blessed to have Ebony Payne-English as our feature!

Click here to register!

In anticipation of the event, Ebony joined me for an interview.  She shared her writing journey, what motivates her, and performs 3 poems. 

For your free give-away for this episode, Ebony shared with us 3 of her favorite writing prompts.  To download it, click here or below.

Here's the interview:

You can also listen to the interview as a podcast below or on iTunes.