The soil tells a story, your story, my story, OUR story and thankfully, we have the ability to tell it OUR way. My name is Chef Liesha and I am one of the contributors to the NAPPI Podcast team. In my segment, “From the Soil” I share stories of agricultural brilliance through practices that are as old as time, resources for your own journey with land and food and so much more. I hope to inspire, bring joy and excitement about our foodways because we deserve it.

You are guided.You are connected.You are becoming.

WHAT THIS IS

The Affirmation & Love Hotline is a voice-based offering from NAPPI Podcast.

A space you can return to when:

You need grounding

You need to hear something true

You need to remember who you are

Call or text: 937-404-5683 (LOVE)

WHY THIS EXISTS

We come from people who:

Were told “No” — and built lives anyway

Were denied access — and created pathways

Carried grief in one hand — and possibility in the other

This offering is a return to that knowing.

Their wisdom lives in us.What lives in us has already survived.What lives in us knows how to thrive.

THIS WEEK’S AFFIRMATION

We are not confused by the noise of “No.”

We recognize it for what it is: resistance to our becoming.

We do not give up.We step up.Even when it aches.Even when it’s heavy.Even when we are tired of being strong.

WHEN TO USE THIS

Reach for this when:

You feel disconnected or overwhelmed

You’re navigating resistance or doubt

You need a moment to breathe and return to yourself

You want to share care with someone else

COMMUNITY CARE

Call when you need grounding.Share it with someone who needs reminding.

Not everyone walking beside you is walking with you—but you are not alone.

We reach back.We call on their names—for their lessons, their fire—and we rise.

Not alone, but held. You are deeply loved.

STAY CONNECTED

Follow + share: adastrasankofa.info

If you’ve been holding it together for everyone else…

This is your space to let it out.

We’re launching something new:

Potty-Mouthed Mommy Society (PMMS)
A real-talk space for mommies and caregivers.

Not a workshop.
Not a performance.

Just a space to:

• vent

• laugh

• cuss

• tell the truth

• be in community with people who get it

Saturday, April 25
9:00–10:00 AM PST
Virtual (Google Meet)

Suggested contribution: $10
Free access available—no one turned away.

JOIN THE SPACE

If you’ve been needing somewhere to be real…

Come through. We’ll meet you in the kitchen. 💜

This is more than a podcast or publication—it’s a space for honest conversation about story, healing, justice, and what it means to build safer communities.

If you’re here, you might be:

• Navigating your own healing journey

• Questioning how systems respond to harm

• Looking for more grounded, community-centered approaches to justice

• Or simply trying to make sense of what care and accountability can look like

At NAPPI, we explore these questions through:

• Podcast conversations

• Reflections and insights

• Tools and resources for healing and justice

We center lived experience, community wisdom, and real-world practice—not theory disconnected from reality.

What You’ll Find Here

• Podcast Episodes Conversations with community members, practitioners, and thought leaders

• Reflections & Insights Grounded writing on healing, justice, and lived experience

• Tools for Practice Resources that support real-life application of these ideas

Why This Work Matters

We believe:

• Healing is collective

• Safety is something we build together

• Accountability can exist without harm

• Community holds knowledge systems often overlooked

This space exists to explore those truths in real time.

Stay Connected

If this resonates with you, subscribe to receive new episodes, reflections, and resources.

You’re not just subscribing—you’re stepping into a shared space for learning, reflection, and collective care.💜✊🏿

This is a beginning.

In this episode, Matriarch introduces the vision behind the podcast — a space for storytelling, truth-telling, and community reflection rooted in Afro-Indigenous perspectives and lived experience.

This isn’t about perfection. This is about presence.

Pull up a seat as we explore what it means to look back, reclaim what was lost, and move forward with intention.

In this episode:

• Who this podcast is for

• Why this work matters

• The power of storytelling and memory

• Community voices and lived experience

• Beginning imperfectly, but intentionally

Special thanks:
Oakland Public LibraryLaney College communityMama Tureada Mikell

Connect with us:
🌐 https://adastrasankofa.info

Support the show:
If this resonates with you:

• Follow the podcast

• Share with someone who needs it

• Leave a rating

Check out Matriarch's Patreon Page to learn more. 💜✊🏿

This is a gentle space to pause, breathe, and receive.

If you need ongoing support, you can call or text the Affirmation & Love Hotline:

📞 937-404-5683 (LOVE)

You are not alone. You are supported. You are loved.

A NAPPI Podcast offering rooted in care, community, and collective healing.

We explore why stories matter, how lived experience shapes the way we move through the world, and what it means to create space for truth, healing, and community. This episode is an invitation to pull up a seat and begin the journey together.

In this episode:

• the power of storytelling in healing and justice work

• why community care matters now

• the vision behind this space and what’s ahead

• an introduction to Matriarch Sankofa’s voice, values, and purpose

If this conversation resonates, follow, share, and stay connected for more stories, reflections, and community-rooted dialogue.

Subscribe now

Why This, Why Now?

I move through the world as carefully as possible. I have to.

As a leader, I navigate among community members with wildly different perspectives—sometimes in alignment, sometimes in opposition. My job requires diplomacy, patience, and the ability to meet people where they are. …AND I am a Black Woman in america, so… you know… I’m perceived as “ANGRY” even when I’m not angry. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have thoughts. Deep, layered, and unapologetic thoughts about the world we live in, how we got here, and where we’re headed.

Not A Positive Perspective & Insights (NAPPI) is the space where I don’t have to code-switch, soften my stance, or filter myself for the sake of keeping the peace. This is where I say what I see—without compromise.

This is a space for those who are tired of "just keeping it moving" when the weight of history, injustice, and complexity sits heavy on our chests. It’s a space where we take off the mask of diplomacy and analyze reality as it truly is, without the pressure to turn everything into a hopeful takeaway.

This is Not A Positive Perspective—and that’s exactly the point.

What Kind of Community Are We Building?

I’m not just writing ANOTHER newsletter. I’m inviting you into a collective analysis—a space where we can unpack the layers behind the headlines, call out contradictions, and challenge the false optimism that so often dismisses hard truths.

This is for those who see the world beyond the surface. For those who know that the game is rigged, that the "both sides" narrative is a lie, and that history is not just the past—it’s a blueprint for today.

We’ll engage in:
🔹 Real Talk: Deep dives into current events, historical context, and why things are playing out the way they are.
🔹 Personal Truths: The strategic moves I make, the impossible choices I navigate, and what I really, TRULY think about them.
🔹 Community Insight: Your thoughts, your counterpoints, your experiences—because none of us can see everything alone. …and I don’t want to.

This space is interactive—not just a one-way broadcast. I want to hear from you. Disagreements are welcome. Nuance is required.

What You Can Expect

📅 Posting Schedule: I’ll be dropping posts twice a month on Sundays, with bonus posts for paid subscribers… eventually.

💡 Free Subscribers Get:
✅ Full access to all standard posts
✅ Comments and discussion access
✅ The ability to suggest future topics

🔥 Paid Subscribers will Get:
✅ Exclusive deeper dives & behind-the-scenes insights
✅ Priority responses to comments & questions
✅ Private discussion threads for unfiltered conversation
✅ Early access to special projects & collaborations

If you're ready to read, think, and challenge perspectives without the forced positivity, then welcome.

Let’s get into it.

👇🏾 Subscribe Now 👇🏾

🔍 Next Up: In my first deep dive, we’re talking about books, reading and empathy. Stories have saved and changed my life and I’m wondering if I’m the only person who reads books to find not only knowledge… But to help make sense of the world around us. If you’ve ever wondered the same, you don’t want to miss this.

Hit Subscribe and drop a comment—what’s something you’ve been dying to say but felt like you couldn’t? Let’s go there.

Subscribe now