Yvonne Osondu is a parent of two lovely darlings, soon to be 30 and 26!
She is a massage therapist and Zen Shiatsu practitioner. Yvonne is a volunteer for the Ryerson midwifery education program and the board of directors for her housing coop.
Yvonne is studying something all the time. Privately she is either meditating or doing yoga both seem to be beneficial for better overall functioning.
Yvonne's latest fascination is making products from the bounty of her friend's garden. She makes body butter, massage oil, and deodorant.
Yvonne has been on the fence about joining a Toastmasters club. In this podcast, we will find out why Yvonne is hesitant. Who knows? Maybe we can convince her to visit Rita's club!
Yvonne's ultimate goal in life - happiness
Yvonne Osondu is a parent of two lovely darlings, soon to be 30 and 26!
She is a massage therapist and Zen Shiatsu practitioner. Yvonne is a volunteer for the Ryerson midwifery education program and the board of directors for her housing coop.
Yvonne is studying something all the time. Privately she is either meditating or doing yoga both seem to be beneficial for better overall functioning.
Yvonne's latest fascination is making products from the bounty of her friend's garden. She makes body butter, massage oil, and deodorant.
Yvonne has been on the fence about joining a Toastmasters club. In this podcast, we will find out why Yvonne is hesitant. Who knows? Maybe we can convince her to visit Rita's club!
Yvonne's ultimate goal in life - happiness
Welcome to speak up with Rita Burke and Elton brown. It is with great joy that I introduced a woman that I've known for quite a long time. Yvonne. Now Yvonne is a parent of two lovely darling. She said 30 and 26. She works as a massage therapist and as Zen shiatsu practitioner, she also volunteers with two organization, the Ryerson midwifery education program. She's on the board of directors for her housing. Co-op. Yvonne tells me that she's always studying privately she's either meditating or doing yoga for both seem to be useful for better overall function. Her latest fashion nation is making products from the bounty of her friend's garden. She's been making body butter, massage oil and deodorant. I want to share a coat that Yvonne gave to us. It says, I must create a system or be enslaved by another man's system. And I'm going to ask Yvonne to talk a little bit about that quotation and what it really means for you. Yeah, that's that quote really means a lot to me because we are not born with, we're not born with all the knowledge that we need to become who we are. And so we're either going to be be absorbing what our parents, Let it pass on to us, or we're going to be adapting for the culture that we live in. Either one of those doesn't necessarily be that doesn't necessarily mean they're good for us or right for us, but that's what we have. And I, so I think eventually as adults, we try to create. The system that really ensures the work for us so that we're not duplicating or repeating or just following, the system that's been either departed to us or imposed on us. So for me, it's a way of always checking in to see, does this really work for me? And if it doesn't help, can it, and if it can't, what else can I create? To make my life functional. Sounds very exciting. I like that. It's deep. It's worth thinking about really appreciate that. What do you find rewarding about your profession, about what you do? I feel very fortunate to have. this whole notion of creating a system or be enslaved by another. I'm so fortunate that I work for myself. It's my thing. I can work 10 days in a row or work five days in a row or work two days. it's it's my own. It's my own creation. It's my it's. When I get up in the morning, I don't have to run to work for, in a job that is something I'm doing to get by. I'm doing what I love. So it doesn't actually feel like work. I know that's a cliche, but it actually feels like I'm fulfilling more of a destiny than an obligation to work, to make a paycheck. And because I love it. I bring love to it. So it really feels like something, of my personhood is unfolding rather than I'm laboring. How many individuals do you see in a week? How large is your client base? Maybe? I see in a week I try not to do more than 20 people and try not to see more than 20 people in a week. it feels. If I do all the things I need to do in order to be in this profession, taking care of my body, making sure resting foods, making sure that I'm in the right company. making sure I have lots of alone time to regenerate my mind. If I do those things, 20 people is really, really I can service 20 people. I try not to go beyond that because it'd be then it's a bit too much. and my client base it's extensive. I'm very happy and fortunate to say it's extensive. Yeah. Wow. I have to go back to your. You're a quote. I just find it to be remarkable. And I know that Mr. Blake was a poet. He was a painter. he was a print maker. He was, all of these things and I really, went out, just went for it. no holds bar. And I wonder how do you take all of that and apply it to your client base? that's a good question. The notion of not being enslaved by another man's, excuse me. That's so profound in that. Personally, not being a slave, but also not enslaving others. So with my client base, I give people a lot of space to be who they are. I'm not, imposing any idea of what it feels to be in their body. I allow them to bring that information to me. and I don't ever assume that. When I saw them last week, how they were feeling then is how they're going to feel this week. So every opportunity that we meet is it's a it's a fresh, a new day. Keep keeping some things in mind. Of course, but not making it not being so stuck in what was that? I can't see what is right now, because you're not the same person you were yesterday, even if you can't, even if someone comes in with pain in their back and they are still having pain today, it's not the same page. And how they are dealing with it and feeling about it. Isn't the same. So I can't assume that, oh, because they had bad pain last week and we did this, and this to help it. And it's still there. It doesn't mean that we're going to do the exact same thing for a couple of reasons. Something would have changed over the last time we've seen each other and that have to be taken into consideration in order for them to, express to me what it's, what it feels like to be in there. you said something that was, quite interesting, just a few seconds ago, how, the pain that one had one day is different than the other day. And so that means to me, that means that there is a Ray, there is an array of tools that have to be used in order to harness this pain. So outside of. Physical Akumal I bet you can use. Are there any spiritual tools that you use to enforce your positive actions to your client base? Wow. Oh my gosh. It's such an interesting question. And I'll tell you why. Massage therapy or massage therapy has it's practice to here in the, in, in the west is very, Western medicine, very, science quote, unquote, science-based heading more towards evidence-based perfectly fine. in my toolbox. grateful to have learned a little bit of Eastern medicine, some Chinese medicine, Japanese, out of Vedic medicine and their belief of what ails us is not just, what happened to us to cause us pain such as I felt, or I picked up something that was too heavy for me. So I strained my back. there's a space in the spectrum of health, across different cultural, peoples that pain can be caused by something more than that. As an example, from a, what they call spiritual. spiritual illness, of emotions, spirit, such as say anger or rage or, or sadness, depression. And so they may, they made a space for addressing those kinds of pains. Now. The knowledge and expertise that one would develop to get there is quite extensive. It's more than going to a two year degree granting institution. It comes from, having some degree of spiritual practice to have an understanding of what these different emotions are. That can cause someone physical discomfort. And so to understand those, And then to be able to apply them is part of what I think is in the, is something I think is possible for a body worker. it's not something that I can say that I am an ex. On at the moment, but it's certainly something that I keep in mind when I put my hands in somebody's body or I ask them questions about their, their pain. Now I have to qualify that by saying that's not scientific. You can't really test that, but somebody. Some of these practices were not, were taking place long before the idea of a scientific method was created. So I don't know that they would stand up to the test of science, but I think science is doing its best to try to understand. Sounds so profound. Yvonne. Thank you. So very much sounds to me as if you approach your practice, seeing the people who come to your clients as holistic beings. That is so profound. In my introduction, we've known each other for a while. Yes. I also, as I mentioned to you, you noted I'm a Toastmaster and Elgin is the toast master. I believe that I've invited you to some meetings. Yeah. Tell me about. Your view, your understanding your about this whole thing called. So you have indeed invited me a few times and I am glad that I haven't taken up on it yet because I recognize that Toastmasters is not an easy thing. It's a very useful thing, but it's not an easy thing. And the reason why I said that is because. I realized that, oh my goodness, talking publicly is very intimidating to me. I know that Toastmasters is available for young people. And if I was a young person, I would do Toastmasters because it's created for somebody young. But if you walk into toast, messes in adult, there's going to be an expectation that you can stand on your feet and open your mouth and talk to the public. And I would. To me, that's one of the most scariest thing possible. So in preparation to come to your Toastmasters, I'm taking a course. That is for people who have tremendous fear of speaking in public. And he, actually acknowledged my fear that yeah, Toastmasters is what you do after you do that course. You don't want to start off with Toastmasters because it's a bit intimidating. You have to be, willing to be okay with wetting your pants. When you put on in front of a microphone to speak that Toastmasters. I'm not there. I must say. I really admire your honesty and how candid you are about it. As a matter of fact, I believe this is, this will be an off the record discussion about Toastmasters and coming, prepared to speak. This will have to be an off the record discussion. You've alluded. You've alluded to this in many of your responses, but there's a question that I need to ask you and let's keep it as succinct as we possibly can. What do you do when you are not working? Oh my gosh. I'm cleaning up my place. I'm finding, meditation and yoga really useful right now. the other thing that I'm finding very useful right now, would you believe is listening or reading slave narratives? I don't know why now. It feels like a religion to right now to hear the experiences of the people that I'm from. In the past, it's just like a bomb to my T to me right now, as difficult and difficult as it is to listen to. So who are your favorite authors right now? I'm listening to, Booker T Washington. There is something about his honesty that I find so refreshing from a 19 20, 21, point of view. And it's just, yeah. it's so yeah, Booker T Washington. That's what I'm going for right now. Angela was my favorite at one time, for sure. But right now I'm just really enjoying he definitely comes from a different perspective. That's sure. And he is very direct, but you know what, my next offer that I have to, just welcome him back in my life is James Baldwin. I feel like he's very underrated. I agree with you on that. And I can see why in so many ways why his work is I'll say the press because of the way that he frames things, pictures that he creates as you're reading his, information is data is store. Th there are absolutely a marvelous end. You do need to think about them after you've read them because you can take them in so many different ways, which I think to me makes them, refreshing. I'm going to, oh, one, one other thing I wanted to ask you, this is the time of year when individuals eat, we eat a lot. we do just do, and so I want to know what is your favorite dish this time of year? It doesn't have to be related to any holiday, but just because of the fact that we're entering winter, what is your favorite dish? So this time of year, Rita introduced me to somebody, years ago. shortly after I met. And, he speaking about balm for the spirit. He was a bomb for my spirit. And in fact, I spent some time with him when I was pregnant out in his farm. he is, he raised chickens. and his chickens are the most superior if you eat, if you eat meat, that is, most superior tasting thing I've ever experienced. And so this time of year is the time that I would take one of his chickens and make my very favorite, Milton chicken with, root vegetables from the, harvest, in the. It's easy. It's brilliant. And it's idiot proof. now I'm salivating from hearing right hearing that I want to thank you so much for having this conversation with Rita and me. It really means a lot to the both of us. We find your conversation to be slightly different than the other topics that we've had conversations with other individuals that we have interviewed. So your podcasts, I think our listeners will find a refresh. So I want to thank you and, Rita as well. We want to thank you for your time and you imparting some of your thoughts and by the way, I think that you are a excellent speaker and I don't see you having to wait until you finished taking this class in order to visit, well from your mouth to God's ear. And I think Rita, I have it an authority now that I can come to Ebony Toastmasters. Yeah. you're more than welcome. We would welcome you with open Lords. It certainly would be. Thank you so much. Thank you, Yvonne. Thank you. Thank you for listening to speak up to discover upcoming podcast, please go to www dot Toastmasters 66, zero.com under news and events. Look for the district 60 newsletter to locate the scale.