In this episode, I share why I started this podcast and explain my intention to overcome perfectionism by creating and sharing these episodes with you. You will learn about the purpose and focus of the Under The Baobab Tree podcast, and I will also provide a brief introduction of myself! Are you readyyyy?? Listen to Under The Baobab Tree here.
If you want, you can read the transcriptions of Episode 1 of Under The Baobab Tree here:
Embracing vulnerability Welcome under the baobab tree. My name is Ama, and I decided to make a podcast. There are two things that are very important to me in making these podcasts. One thing is vulnerability and honesty about how I am feeling too.
Because I have the feeling that I tried sometimes to be vulnerable on social media and other places, but I had a feeling I'm not completely doing it in a way how I would want to do it. So that's one thing. Letting go of perfectionism
And the other thing. The second thing is giving up perfectionism. I'm a perfectionist, and I really want to give it up while making this podcast. It doesn't mean it won't be good. But it doesn't need to be perfect. Because life is not perfect. And I also know if I focus too much on perfectionism, then eventually there will not be a podcast. So in this podcast, in making it, in creating it, I just really want to try to do it in a way that feels good to me. And to not worry if it's not perfect enough, because imperfect is totally fine.
And so that's why, by making this podcast, I actually just decided to do it anyway, even though it would normally hold me back to do it or to make a podcast. And we all have things that hold us back to living our potential. We all have things that hold us back to follow our dreams or to be ourselves or to live in harmony. And that's actually the goal of this podcast, talking and exploring different ways and topics that help with removing those blocks, removing everything that holds us back so that we can shine.
Living in your potential and following your dreams
And I know living your potential, following your dreams, and all the things we've all heard it a 1000 times and they are abstract words. So I want to explain a little bit more what it means to me or why I want to work with this. So for me, living in potential means that we all have gifts, talents, passions, potential that lives within us, like every human being on earth has that. And these gifts and talents, our potential, we have it, but maybe it's unconscious. Or maybe it is conscious. But maybe it's conscious, but we're not using it because we didn't train it enough or there's fear or we are insecure, or we are suffering from impostor syndrome. Or we experienced things in our childhood that are preventing us from living in our potential now. Or we have trauma. I mean, there are so many things, right?!
If you don't have your own dreams, you will be working to achieve someone elses dreams
And what can help us to live more and more in our potential? That is what interests me. And I know there are so many possibilities. And when I talk about following your dreams, it's such a general term, right? And maybe you don't have specific dreams or goals. Maybe you're just living your life. But we are here on Earth with a certain purpose, with a destiny. And I've heard a quote some time ago. Where do you see if you don't make your own goals, you're doomed to follow someone else's goals. Or, you know, you're doomed to achieve someone else's goals, you're not living your own. And for me, that's the same with dreams. Like if you don't have your own dreams or if you're not following them, chances are higher actually following someone else's dreams or working to achieve someone else's dreams. And so what holds us back to live our dreams? How can we start reaching them?
Things holding us back to be ourselves
And I also mentioned that sometimes we have things that are holding us back to be ourselves, right? Sometimes we are wearing a mask, not in all situations, sometimes in certain situations or with specific people. Sometimes we have fear to be ourselves, to say what we really want to say or to do what we want to do because of the fear of being judged or fear of being rejected. Fear to end up alone or to not being loved. And sometimes we actually also don't know who we are or sometimes we're disconnected from our higher self even. So, strangely enough, it's actually a whole journey in this life to be yourself but it's a beautiful one.
Removing blocks
And last but not least, I also love to talk about removing blocks. So, there can be harmony, inner harmony, like within yourself, the conflicts, the dynamics that are going on certain patterns, certain pains, certain contrasts, but also outer harmony with other people in your life, your relationships, maybe certain conflicts, even with nature, certain beings, even conflict in society also interests me like what are the things that are blocking us on a societal level, to reach harmony, you know. And so I want to talk a bit about myself too so that at least you know who I am, too.
Mixed identity. Born in Belgium, living in Ghana
And there is actually so much that I could share and say, but at the same time, I'm just a spirit in the human body, just like you. But to give you some of my human experience, I was born in Belgium, in the city of Antwerp. So my mother tongue is Dutch, forgive my English. I just chose to make the podcasts in English because I have a lot of other people who follow me who speak English. And in this way, my reach is wider, I can reach more people from different countries.
My mom is a beautiful Belgian woman, and my dad is a brave Ghanaian man. And because of them, I'm alive. And I will be forever grateful to them for that. Being part of these two cultures makes my experience kind of special in this world. And I'm sure there are more people who are listening to this, who also know how that feels to be part of two cultures, right? But it was, and still is a special experience to be seen in Belgium as a brown woman, as a black woman, and in Ghana as a white woman. Here my skin color is lighter. And so they really see me differently. And some people treat me differently. Same like in Belgium, but then there because I was a brown or black woman, right? So these things really shaped and still shape my experiences.
Knowledge of the world
And so in Belgium, I went to school, my master's in Educational Sciences in Brussels. And actually, it was for me, only after studying, that I started to read and research more and understand more of so many things. I was interested in things from the world and certain dynamics that are going on, that I didn't learn in school, right? So I have a feeling I changed and grew a lot after studying, actually. And I traveled a lot in the world. And at a certain point, I decided to leave Belgium for different reasons. But actually, the biggest reason was that I had a feeling I couldn't really spiritually grow there. If I look back at it now, I know you can actually really grow spiritually everywhere in the world. But I was in search of teachers and to be surrounded more by people who were also more living in their spirituality or with spirit, you know.
So, that brought me on a whole journey that I'm not going to explain now. But I lived in different South American countries also for a few years and, you know, I was searching and now I live in Ghana, in Kwahu, in a beautiful area. It's in between Accra and Kumasi, and I'm surrounded by these beautiful green mountains. I really, really love living here. And at the moment, I'm building a multifunctional community center here. The name is Sungyata. You can read more here if you're interested in reading more and discovering more about it.
Not your typical coach
I also work with teenage girls, and I guide people in one-on-one sessions online to do actually this very work what I'm talking about here to remove blocks so they can live in their potential and be themselves. And I wouldn't call myself this typical coach. You know, I really love to work on all the different levels, like the mental and emotional level but also energetic and the spiritual levels are so important and often forgotten. And yeah, I work with different modalities like aurareadings, cowrie shell readings, I facilitate inner child work, breathwork, and just different types of coaching sessions. You know, I just really like to see what's needed and tune into the energies and see where the blocks are, right? And then work together so that the person can leave the session or sessions without the blocks or feeling different or changed. And that's what I really love to do. Like, I just love observing transformation in people, seeing that something is healed. You can read more about the one one one sessions that I do.
And so yeah, who am I? I'm, as I said, a human being. I love to read. I recently discovered that I really love gardening, actually, or farming. And I love watching people's growth, listening to people's life stories, listening to music, eating delicious food, being in nature, and so much more. I'm sure while listening to this podcast and the different episodes that are coming, you will get to know me better.
The Spiritual Baobab Tree
And so, to finalize this episode, I wanted to talk about under the baobab tree. Because I learned to Baobab trees, also how I work with people one-on-one, even though it's online, they come to visit me under the baobab tree. They tell me what's going on for them or why they came. And together we find a way so the clouds disappear, and they can shine again. And in this podcast, you also come to visit me and the baobab tree, but it's more of a storytelling kind of vibe. We sit together here on the tree. Can you feel it? And I share. And so, in the olden times, African elders used to sit very often under the baobab tree, and they also believed that the tree spirits helped in decision making, that they would help overcome the troubles and challenges that they were facing. And so, the baobab tree is a very special powerful spiritual tree that gives protection and shelter, is connected to the stars and the earth.
And you know, the baobab is present in these episodes. The spirit of the baobab tree is present in all of these episodes. And this under the baobab tree podcast is my offering to you. Under the baobab tree, we will live in kindness as human beings finding our way through life. In under the baobab tree, changing growth is possible. And you are so, so welcome. I'll see you in the next episode. I can't wait. Have a beautiful day.
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Much love!
Ama