Ep 150: Cherry Revolution with Africa Brooke

Episode 150: Show Notes

Today we are joined by international speaker, consultant, coach, podcaster, and unapologetic champion of honesty, Africa Brooke!

Africa was born in Zimbabwe before moving to the UK, and we get to hear all about our guest's early years, challenges, and paths of self-discovery.

Having struggled with an alcoholic father, Africa herself fell into a pattern of substance abuse, and she generously talks about what this looked like and what it took for her to break out of these habits.

She explains the impact that learning about self-sabotage had on her, as well as the power of sharing her story publicly. From there, the conversation transitions to her outspoken comments on transcending the confines of wokeness and cancel culture, and how stepping into her truth changed things for her in so many ways.

Listeners will come away with some inspiring and fearless thoughts on purpose, truth, making peace with contradictions, and intentionality; all things we can all use a bit more of! Africa also talks about the central role that ritual plays in her life, finding her voice as a storyteller, becoming a better listener, and much more, so tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

A look at Africa's early years in Zimbabwe and her memories of her family dynamics.
Drinking norms in Zimbabwe and the normalization of dangerous and abusive behavior.
Africa's experiences of self-censoring for fear of getting hurt.
Perspectives and conversations on the bravery that Africa's mother exercised.
Early conceptions of success and survival in Africa's family.
Africa talks about her love of Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks.
Discovering Blackness; how Africa came to be aware of race and otherness.
Tracing the roots of Africa's own problems with alcohol abuse.
The acknowledgment of self-sabotage and the time it took for things to change.
How Africa's decision to share her story and delve into psychology impacted her journey.
The powerful support that Africa received from her friend Roxanne.
Advice from Africa for anyone struggling with following through on what they know they need to do!
Exploring the period of transition that Africa went through around the age of 24.
The advent of the #MeToo movement and Africa's first interactions with its ideas.
Africa's rapid rise as a public speaker and her discovery of this talent.
Finding a natural rhythm, a love of walking, and a commitment to the long haul.
Unpacking the process of evolution that Africa went through in relation to woke culture.
Africa shares some reflections on writing ‘Why I’m Leaving the Cult of Wokeness’.
Steps for staying authentic; navigating the bias towards polarization.
Separating the different parts of people, including what we might disagree with, from more positive elements.
The area of Africa's life where she is experiencing challenges currently: relationships.
Africa's thoughts on her own definition of success at this point in her life.
Honesty and interrogation around our own values; some words of wisdom from Africa!
A little bit about Africa's forthcoming book that centers around escaping the binary.

Tweetables:

“I really honor the upbringing that I had in terms of being exposed to such a rich environment.” — Africa Brooke [0:06:35]

“The household that I grew up in is probably the first environment that taught me the importance of holding multiple truths, and being able to honor the goodness in something, but also, the badness in something.” — Africa Brooke [0:08:21]

“I find it really important to be very honest about those things that can feel very gross.” — Africa Brooke [0:17:07]

“At some point, the party has to stop. You can have this identity of a fun-time person, but people want to know more.” — Africa Brooke [0:40:01]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Africa Brooke

‘Why I’m Leaving the Cult of Wokeness’