Authentic Thriving Podcast
Authentic Thriving Podcast is a trauma-informed mental health and personal development podcast hosted by Abies Sonia Ebenezer-Bamigbayan, a BACP-registered counsellor, life coach, and positive psychology practitioner.
This podcast supports individuals navigating trauma, burnout, emotional suppression, people-pleasing, faith-related emotional wounds, and identity loss, particularly within African and Black diaspora communities.
Each episode blends psychoeducation, cultural insight, reflective dialogue, and practical emotional tools to help listeners heal, reclaim self-worth, set healthy boundaries, and move toward inner harmony.
🎧 Important note: This podcast is educational and reflective and does not replace therapy
Episodes
51 episodes
Career Growth Without Burnout
Chronic work-related stress can make even a good job feel unsafe: you overthink every email, dread meetings, and carry the tension home. That is why I invited Foyeke Alibanogun, a programme development lead and multi-hyphenate professional, to ...
The Truth Isn't Enough: Why Timing Matters For Your Mental Health
You might be an honest person and still be the reason trust keeps cracking. That sounds harsh, but it’s one of the most common relationship traps: we tell the truth only when we’re asked, then we’re shocked when our partner, friend, or family m...
Stop Douching: A Conversation on Feminine Health, Mental Wellbeing and African Women
Silence can be deadly when it comes to women’s health, especially in communities where you’re taught to endure pain and keep private problems private. We sit down with Dr Ebunoluwa, a UK obstetrics and gynaecology doctor trained in Nigeria, to ...
Abies Sonia: Turning Trauma Counselling Into Strength
We flip the script as our host becomes the guest, unpacking what trauma-informed coaching really means and why burnout can sit behind joy, competence, and a busy life. We share real signs of chronic stress, the beliefs that keep people stuck, a...
The Strong Black Woman Trap: Hidden Patterns Hurting Your Mental Health
The people who make everyone laugh can be the closest to breaking. We talk with Oby Dike, a lawyer, about what happens when you wear too many hats and start believing you’re not allowed to fail: firstborn pressure, motherhood, marriage strain, ...
Demystifying God Spoke To Me
Ever felt left out when someone says “God told me” and you’re still waiting for a voice from heaven? We open up a grounded, hope-filled guide to recognising how God actually speaks today often quieter than you expect, always kinder than you thi...
Delayed, Not Denied: Trusting God's Process
What if the delay you fear is the very process that shapes your breakthrough? We sit down with Inibeghe Ebong to trace her path from newlywed expectations to a years-long wait for conception, across countries and a pandemic, and into a testimon...
Character Nurturing: Helping or Hurting Curiosity?
We challenge harmful labels and show how to turn “too much” into strength through belief, guidance, and practice. Real stories and practical steps help parents and adults nurture curiosity, choose the right mediums, and build confidence that la...
Faith In Action
What if the season you’re trying hardest to escape is the place where your character is forged and your joy deepens? Today we share a lived‑in story of practical faith: long visa delays that split a new marriage across continents, a miscarriage...
Space Is A Mirror: What You Allow Shapes Who You Become
What if the quality of your life is simply the story your space is telling back to you? Today we pull apart the idea of “space” across four domains physical, mental, spiritual, and relational and show how small, deliberate shifts create outsize...
Rewriting What Black Means In Our Minds
We explore how erased history, language loss, and foreign validation fuel identity crises among black children and adults, then map practical steps for parents, teachers, and leaders to build Afrocentric pride with depth and care. Dr Ronke Posh...
Stop Competing, Start Collaborating
What if the story you were told about success, beat the class, top the target, outshine the room, has been holding you back from the very growth you want? We pull back the curtain on how competition sneaks into classrooms, living rooms, and boa...
Herbal Care Reduces Hospital Visits
We trace Wumi’s journey from a night in A&E to a life built around plants, practical research, and patient care. We show how a family garden grew into teas for BP, sleep, and more, and why slow living and good boundaries keep the mission hu...
From Low Light To Lively Days: Practical Ways To Beat Winter Blues
The shorter days arrive, the duvet clings a little tighter, and motivation slips. We’re tackling winter blues head‑on with a soulful, practical guide to keeping your energy bright, your routines steady, and your home full of warmth. I start by ...
Motherhood In Seasons: Raising Kind Boys
We explore how seasons shape marriage, parenting, and career, and how inner peace can turn burnout into calm strength. Mo shares the choices that moved her from law to baking and from resentment to friendship and fun at home.• redefinin...
Uprooted to Thriving: Staying Mentally Strong After Relocating
Moving abroad can look like a win on every scoreboard better schools, safer streets, wider options while a quieter story unfolds inside our homes. We open up about the emotional reality children face after relocation: the loss of familiar langu...
School Transitions Through Gen Z Eyes
We explore how a Gen Z student navigates big school transitions, from primary to secondary, through lockdown homeschooling, GCSEs, and into college. We focus on values-led friendships, safer choices, practical study habits, and how parents can ...
Celebrating Black History Beyond October
Culture should not wait for a calendar. We dive into how to live Black History Month every day through what we wear, cook, say, and teach so identity becomes a steady practice rather than a themed moment. From a colourful Ashoke suit in a board...
Transforming Hurt into Hope: Leading Community Change
You never forget the first time someone tells you, “I’m hungry, but I’m not allowed to go out.” That sentence set off a chain reaction: an African food bank that feeds dignity as much as stomachs, a Pidgin English translation service that makes...
Collaboration & Calm: The Hilda Baci Formula
Collaboration doesn’t fail because people don’t care; it fails because fear, vague promises, and power games crush trust long before the work begins. Today we unpack a cleaner, calmer way to partner grounded in a real-world case: Chef Hilda Bas...
3 Miracles After Seven IVFs - Miscarriage and Etopic Pregnancy
We share Kemi’s fierce and tender journey through endometriosis, seven IVFs, loss, depression, radical kindness, and a surprise natural conception. Faith, community, and simple daily habits turn a long wait into a story of courage and restorati...
Navigating Judgment After Vulnerability
Vulnerability, when misunderstood, often gets labelled as weakness. Yet, it's actually one of our most powerful tools for emotional liberation and authentic connection. This episode explores what happens when vulnerability is met with judgment ...
Unveiling African Trauma Syndrome
We explore the concept of "African Trauma Syndrome" – the unique psychological and emotional challenges experienced by children across African cultures shaped by cultural expectations and social norms. Ayo, a young Gen Z voice, joins the conver...
Overcoming Post-Traumatic Slavery Syndrome
Have you ever caught yourself doubting a product simply because it was made by a Black person? Or feeling the need to change your accent, name, or appearance to "fit in" with non-Black spaces? These seemingly small behaviors reveal a deeper iss...