Safiya Noble, a professor from the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry and author of the book Algorithms of Oppression, joins Aja for a chat about how we can reckon with technology and reclaim our mental wellbeing in online spaces.

Climate justice activist, professor, and author of The Shock Doctrine and This Changes Everything, Naomi Klein explores ecofeminism, intersectionality, and what we can do to “light ourselves up” in ways that can make a difference to the planet. 

Hope Giselle is the first openly trans woman to graduate with a MFA from the conservative Alabama State University. The author of Becoming Hope: Removing the Disguise, shares her modern social take on trans and black bodies in public spaces, plus her tips on cooking the perfect pasta and how to relax when you’re under a microscope.

For author Jason Reynolds, sometimes “slaying dragons” means writing #1 New York Times bestselling youth fiction. Other times it’s about kicking back to watch basketball with his friends or playing guitar. Jason joins Aja to talk about balancing writing, family, and his own mental health.

In her new book, Who is Wellness For?, poet Fariha Róisín examines wellness culture and who it leaves behind. She joins Aja for a conversation that touches on wellness, activism, healing from childhood trauma, and being accountable for our own wellbeing. 

Philosopher, professor, and poet, Bayo Akomolafe joins Aja in a discussion on the evolution of activism, what resides in the space between words, the meaning of love, and the healing power in the sound of children laughing.

The author of Self-Care For Black Women works with the unhoused population of Los Angeles as a psychiatric social worker. She shares her on being in-relationship with people suffering from mental illness, and how the system might be changed to better care for all.

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, the author of The Sex Lives of African Women, joins Aja to talk about African women’s sexuality, feminism across the African diaspora, and the idea that caring for your community is integral to self-care.

Abiodun Oyewole is a talented poet, teacher, as well as member of African-American music and spoken-word group The Last Poets. He joins Aja in conversation about the power of community, how creativity is more than just poetry, art, and music, and how caring for one another is caring for oneself. Please note that this episode contains discussion of mental illness and includes sensitive, adult content that some may have difficulty engaging with.

Mohammed El-Kurd was named one of TIME 100’s most influential people in the world in 2021, but he grew up in a constant state of war and displacement. The Palestinian poet joins Aja for a conversation about how he found solace in words and freedom of expression.

We’re revisiting some previously unreleased segments from Aja’s interview with Hope Giselle—from what it takes work someone on the opposing side of the ideological spectrum, to overcoming self-hate and colorism, to answering the question that nobody ever asks regarding what it really takes meet your dreams and so much more.

We’re revisiting some of the previously unreleased segments from Aja’s interview with Naomi Klein—exploring deeper into ecofeminism, intersectionality and finding inspiration in what has been lost.