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Welcome back to BeREAL! This week marks the final episode of the Black Woman Be Whole takeover. Ednesha, Kim, and Marquia are joined this week by Alex Elle. Alex was on BeREAL last year, but she is back again to talk more about self care for black women.
Alexandra Elle is an author & wellness consultant living in the Washington, DC metro area with her husband and children. Writing came into her life by way of therapy and the exploration of healing through journaling. Quarterly, Alex teaches workshops and retreats centered around assisting others in finding their voices through storytelling, poetry, and narrative writing rooted in truth without shame. Her mission is to build community & self-care practices through literature & language. Alex is the author of multiple books and journals, most recently After the Rain, Neon Soul, and Today I Affirm: A Journal That Nurtures Self-Care.
Alex begins the episode by talking about what has changed since she was last on the show. Her career has taken off, and her book that was published in October, After the Rain, is already in its sixth printing. She discusses how the pandemic has drawn people to her messages of self care, and how her book withstands the changing mental health landscape during coronavirus. She talks about her experience on Good Morning America, and how she doesn’t like being termed an “influencer” because she wants people to listen to her because of her message, not because of her follower account.
Marquia asks Alex for some advice on tackling old wounds that resurface. Alex stresses the importance of knowing what you need out of yourself and what you need out of your community and vocalizing both of those ideas. Alex brings up the conversation point that many black women nowadays find themselves as the sole healing matriarch in their family. The quartet discuss the stigma that black women need to be tough and how that impacts their daughters and mothers.
The conversation shifts so Alex can discuss her relationship with her mother and how it is addressed in her book. Alex explains how the book is written to show black women that they are not alone and other women are experiencing similar struggles in life. Marquia backs up this explanation by joking that she felt called out by some of Alex’s passages.
To close off the episode, Alex recounts a recent experience she had with a white reader. Alex was told to not strictly identify as a black author because it makes her works less universal. Alex goes on to explain how this made her realize that she must hone in on her identity as a black author because self care for black women needs more representation.
Thank you for tuning into the final Black Woman Be Whole takeover at BeREAL! Tune in next Tuesday for an episode back with the usual BeREAL team. In the meantime, make sure you go check out Black Woman Be Whole and their upcoming podcast.
For more information on Alex Elle and all her work, visit the links below:
Website: https://www.alexelle.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex_elle/
For more information on Black Woman Be Whole, check out the links below:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackwomanbewhole/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackwomanbewhole/
For more information on BeREAL (our psychotherapy podcast) and BeWELL (our psychotherapy office in Midtown Manhattan NYC) visit the links below:
To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell.psychotherapy/
