My natural pregnancy journey + birth affirmation cards

I first started to write this natural pregnancy journey post at 20 weeks. I was loving all the education I was receiving about natural pregnancy and birth. Now, at 31 weeks, I’m even more grateful for what I learned and the decisions I’ve made so far – my pregnancy has been such a pleasurable experience!

The natural path

I appreciate that the information about approaches to a more natural pregnancy and birth aren’t the standard and you often have to actively seek it out. Luckily I love to learn and I’m happy to go out of my way in pursuit of the most natural options possible when it comes to many things. From what I put on my skin, to what I put in my mouth. From how I treat myself when I’m unwell, to what I use to clean my home.

Natural pregnancy resources

When I became pregnant, I had a new and most precious project on my hands and I dived in with enthusiasm. For those of you with less time, or who may not know where to begin, I thought I’d share some books, services and other resources that have been of great value to me. I’ve also designed some illustrated birth affirmation cards for you to download (details below).

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Expand in creativity, business and life – September round-up

Regular readers may have noticed my blogging hiatus, as I reconfigured my life and business. However, Afri-love subscribers have been less neglected, thanks to A week of Afri-love: a weekly email I started a few months ago, where I share 5 Afri-love-worthy things. Each edition includes:

Buy African: featuring exquisite African-made/made in Africa goods
Something to look at, read, watch or listen to
Some visual place to get lost in (usually amazing Instagram feeds that will fuel your imagination and take you places!)
Events across the world
Last but not least, an “expand” item – something that I’ve come across that has been useful for me in my quest for better health, creative excellence and success in my business

For those who don’t receive these nuggets weekly, I thought I’d do a round-up of “expand” posts, every 2 months, selecting just 5 of my favourite items.

Here’s edition number one! Continue reading “Expand in creativity, business and life – September round-up”

A Success Reading List for Creatives

June 2022 update: 2 and a half years later, while the previous list remains relevant, after teaching the SHINE course I have added a few more books to it.

July 2020 update: 6 and a half years after sharing my success reading list, it’s still relevant! I found myself thinking about it and wanting to update it with more gems. See the update below.

New journeys require new tools

When I embarked on journey of self-employment, almost 5 years ago, I went on a mission to educate myself about success. I got caught up in all the fantastic things I was learning about business, finance, personal effectiveness and ultimately, about myself. So much so that, I can probably count on my 2 hands, the number of fiction books that I’ve read during this period.

Over the past few months, as I establish my second business, I find myself ramping things up and making this reading part of my daily routine – at least 30-45 mins every day. The difference I’m experiencing in my mindset, my behaviour and my results is not a coincidence. When wiser, more seasoned and more successful people talk about swapping some TV time for reading – they’re not trying to rob you of joy! They know how they got where they are. So I’m going to retrace their steps (these days I catch up on TV on Sundays when I’m doing my hair … but, that’s a whole other post).

Below is a working success reading list – books that I’ve found very useful, as a creative entrepreneur.

We can have both (creative satisfaction and prosperity). Here’s to no more starving artists!

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My African Non-Fiction Reading List

As with my African fiction reading list, here is a working list of non-fiction books that I'd like to read. Unlike with the fiction list, the criteria for what makes a book 'African' in this instance is a little bit different (and potentially less contentious – you tell me). This time classification has to do with the subject matter of the book rather than with the heritage of the author.

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My African Fiction Reading List

Over the past four years or so, I've hardly touched a book of fiction. Although I've thoroughly enjoyed all the stuff I have been reading and the learning its facilitated, I miss the experience of getting lost in another world. I've been noting down recommendations here and there and keeping lists on my beloved Evernote but I thought it would make sense to create one central list here on the blog.

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