In this episode of Black. Girl. Iowa., Emili sits down with Paula A. Bell—CEO, speaker, consultant, and the powerhouse behind a holistic approach to success rooted in mind, body, and soul.

From her journey leaving Brooklyn and navigating life as a single mother to building a thriving consulting business, Paula shares what it really takes to bet on yourself. This conversation dives deep into discipline, consistency, self-worth, and the importance of giving yourself grace—especially as Black women navigating life, work, and wellness.

Paula also breaks down practical strategies for building sustainable habits, setting boundaries, and redefining failure as growth. Whether you're starting your fitness journey, building a business, or simply trying to find balance, this episode is your reminder that everything you need is already within you.

🎧 Tune in and get ready to be inspired to move differently, think differently, and show up fully for yourself.

👤 About Paula A. Bell

Paula A. Bell is a speaker, consultant, and CEO of Paula A. Bell Consulting LLC, where she helps individuals and organizations achieve transformation through a holistic approach to mind, body, and soul. With over 20 years of corporate experience across industries like finance, media, and the courts, Paula blends business strategy, leadership development, and wellness coaching to empower others to thrive.

Known as the “BA Martial Artist,” she incorporates discipline, mindset, and confidence-building into her work—guiding clients to break barriers, build sustainable habits, and truly bet on themselves.

🔗 Connect with Paula:

• Instagram: @ninjapfitness
• TikTok: @ninja_p_fitness

🌐 Learn more about Paula A. Bell Consulting:

In this episode of Black. Girl. Iowa., Emili sits down with Des Moines native and healthcare leader Anesa Buchanan, whose work is rooted in community, advocacy, and access. With over 17 years in healthcare and a current role as Director of Community Impact and Engagement, Anesa shares her journey from the East Side to leadership at UnityPoint Health.

From navigating life as a young mother to becoming a recognized community advocate, Anesa reflects on the power of relationships, the importance of access to healthcare, and why serving others is her purpose—not just her profession. This conversation dives into health equity, community responsibility, and what it truly means to care for “the least of these.”

✨ Whether you’re passionate about community work, healthcare, or finding purpose in your career—this episode will inspire you to show up and serve.

Don’t forget to:🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast📲 Follow @blackgirliowa on Instagram & TikTok
🛍️ Shop merch + journaling kits on Etsy✍🏾 Join the conversation on Substack

In this week’s episode of Black. Girl. Iowa., Emili sits down with community leader, advocate, and disruptor Victoria Henderson Weber—President of the NAACP Des Moines Branch and Vice President of the Colonel Young Gun Club.

From growing up on the East Side of Des Moines to leading statewide advocacy efforts, Victoria shares how early experiences shaped her commitment to civic engagement, community safety, and systems change.

This conversation dives into:

• The power of Black women in leadership
• Why volunteerism is critical to community survival
• The truth about advocacy work (and why most of it is unpaid)
• Gun ownership, safety, and breaking stereotypes
• The role of the NAACP in today’s social climate
• How YOU can get involved and make an impact

This episode is a reminder:👉🏾 Change doesn’t come from waiting—it comes from showing up.

📚 Book Recommendation

“We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance” by Kellie Carter JacksonA powerful look into the history of Black resistance and the role of self-defense in our communities—highly recommended during this conversation.

🔗 Get Involved

NAACP – Des Moines Branch🌐 https://naacpdesmoines.org📧 secretary@naacpdesmoines.org

Colonel Young Gun Club (Des Moines Chapter of NAAGA)📍 Monthly meetings + training opportunities📧 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NAAGADSM/

✨ Stay Connected with Black. Girl. Iowa.

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio & YouTube (Wednesdays)🛍 Shop merch: BlackGirlIowaShop (Etsy)📲 Follow: @blackgirliowa

Sometimes being strong comes with a cost.

In this solo episode of the podcast, Emili gets real about the exhaustion so many Black women carry every day — at work and in the spaces where we are expected to keep showing up no matter what. This conversation is about burnout, boundaries, protection, and the emotional weight of constantly having to be “on.”

From navigating the workplace to learning how to leave work at work, document everything, and identify who is truly supportive, this episode is a reminder that exhaustion is not weakness. It is often the result of carrying too much for too long.

If you’ve been feeling drained, overlooked, or stretched too thin, this episode is for you.

Listen now and join the conversation.

In this episode:

• Why so many Black women are exhausted

• The pressure of always having to be strong

• Ways to protect yourself in the workplace

• The importance of boundaries and documentation

• Knowing the difference between performative and genuine support

• Giving yourself permission to rest

Listen to Black. Girl. Iowa. on:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Amazon Music
• Pandora
• iHeartRadio
• YouTube

Shop merch on Etsy: BlackGirlIowaShop

Read more on Substack: @blackgirliowa

Divorce isn’t just paperwork.

It’s identity.It’s faith.It’s boundaries.
It’s rebuilding while life keeps moving.

In this candid conversation, I sit down with Lya Williams to talk about what it really looks like to navigate divorce as Black women living in Iowa. We discuss the identity shift that comes with losing the title of “wife,” the emotional weight of healing in real time, and the courage it takes to choose yourself — even when society tells you to “just pray about it” and stay.

We talk about:

• The identity crisis after divorce
• Gaslighting and emotional abuse
• Boundaries and co-parenting
• Being the “strong Black woman” and wanting softness
• Therapy, journaling, and faith
• Career pivots and rediscovering belief in yourself
• Support systems — and what happens when they aren’t where you expected
• The audacity to leave and rebuild anyway

This isn’t bitterness.This isn’t husband-bashing.This is reflection.

Whether you’re divorced, healing, contemplating change, or learning to put yourself first — this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen. Reflect. Heal.

Follow & connect:Instagram & TikTok: @blackgirliowaWebsite: www.blackgirliowa.com

#BlackGirlIowa #BlackWomenHealing #DivorceRecovery #ChooseYourself #SoftLifeSeason

What happens when the dream you built your identity around suddenly ends?

This week on Black. Girl. Iowa., Emili sits down with leader, husband, father, former professional basketball player, and host of The Minds with Hakeem, Jjuan Hakeem.

From growing up in Beaumont, Texas to building a life in Iowa, Jjuan shares:

• The identity crisis that followed retiring from professional basketball

• Why asking for help is actually strength

• The power of long-standing friendships

• What it means to lead as a Black man in Iowa

• How faith grounds him in divisive times

They also get into career pivots, community work through Change Course, masculinity, mentorship, and yes — a little Cowboys vs. Packers debate.

This episode is about redefining success, restoring relationships, and remembering who you are beyond your title.

🎧 Listen now.

After a short hiatus, Emili is back — no script, no outline, just truth.

In this deeply personal solo episode, she opens up about fear, anxiety, feeling lost after divorce, turning 40, and the quiet paralysis that comes from not believing your own story matters.

Why is it easier to show up for work, for students, for interviews, for church — but harder to show up for yourself?

Why is publishing the book harder than writing it?

Why is pressing record alone more terrifying than interviewing anyone else?

This episode is about:

• Operating in uncomfortable spaces

• Being afraid but wanting more

• The pressure of perfection

• Feeling lost in 2025

• Turning 40 and craving bravery

• The struggle to believe you are capable of amazing things

• And choosing to try anyway

This is Emili without the polish.Without the outline.Without the performance.

Just real.

And maybe that’s enough.

In this powerful episode of Black. Girl. Iowa., Emili sits down with award-winning author, educator, and activist Abena Sankofa Imhotep for a conversation rooted in truth, literacy, and liberation.

From growing up Black in Iowa to challenging the myth of “Iowa Nice,” Abena shares how radical imagination, community-centered education, and permissionless living are essential tools for Black futures. This episode explores legacy, storytelling, and the responsibility of passing the baton to the next generation.

📚 About the Guest

Abena Sankofa Imhotep is an award-winning author, educator, activist, and the founder of the Sankofa Literacy Academy. Her work centers Black literature, community-rooted education, and radical imagination as tools for liberation. She is the author of Omar’s Big Tree, host of Black and Privileged in America, and a nationally recognized speaker committed to creating spaces where Black people can learn, imagine, and thrive without permission.

This episode — and all previous episodes of Black. Girl. Iowa. — are available on:Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Amazon Music • YouTube

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review — it helps amplify Black women’s voices.

🎧 Listen & Subscribe