October is Black History Month in the UK. This year, the fantastic Yasmin Spark has taken over our podcast. Over the next month, Yasmin speaks to an incredible array of inspirational guests, featuring stories from the Global majority about people and organizations that inspire people with staying sober and to change their drinking in different ways.
In this week’s podcast takeover, Yasmin speaks with the fabulous Dr Valerie Mason-John. Valerie is an author, teacher, and mindfulness practitioner who happens to be both black and queer – a double win for our global community’s history months. These inspirational activists talk about staying sober in a world that’s burning, and how we can stay present and focused and our healing journey.
Who is Dr Valerie Mason-John?
Valerie (Vimalasara) Mason-John M.A, Hon doc, is the award winning author and editor of ten books, most recently their social justice poetics I’m Still Your Negro, An Homage to James Baldwin (on Amazon US and Amazon UK), was shortlisted for the Dorothy Livesay award and the Gerald Lampert Memorial award in 2021. They are Co-Founder and Author of Eight Step Recovery Using The Buddha’s Teachings to Overcome Addiction, and the co-founder of the 8 week course, and train the trainer Mindfulness Based Addiction Recovery MBAR.
In the context of the worlds that we live in, and living while black, how we stay connected to that inner truth of who we are is to surround ourselves by likeminded people. If we if we look at that George Floyd moment, there was a shift, you know, some things won’t change. One thing that won’t change is that black people came together to create the spaces so that they could stay connected to that inner self. So in a way, it’s really important to connect to likeminded people, people who reflect us so that we can stay connected to that inner self…Every culture has a has its form of mindfulness – everybody’s talking about Ubuntu – because in a way we make mindfulness our own, we integrate it into our being. And mindfulness is a thing that can transform your life.
Valerie Mason-John
How to connect with Club Soda this Black History Month
We’ve invited the wonderful Yasmin Spark to take over our podcast for the month, leading a series of interviews with voices from the Global Majority on changing drinking habits, overcoming problem drinking, and staying sober. This podcast episode is the second in a series of 5 episodes throughout October focusing on Black History Month. Yasmin speaks to black and people of colour from our community who all have different experiences and individual insights into changing their drinking, including upcoming podcasts with Dina Basharahil, Lazarus Letcher, and the Sober Joy panel.
How to listen to Club Soda’s podcast
The Club Soda podcast is available wherever you subscribe to podcasts. Find your platform here. Whether you want in-depth interviews or lively discussion, life-changing advice, or practical tips, the podcast has something for everyone. Join Club Soda co-founders Laura Willoughby and Dru Jaeger to hear from experts on sober and mindful living. All our podcast episodes also appear on our website with show notes, helpful links, and information.