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 " People are full of wisdom. " - Jessie Simmons This week's episode was very special to me. I sat down with Jessie Simmons , a multi-faceted artist from Ottawa, to discuss her journey through the music business. From overcoming industry challenges to the creation of her debut album " AMONI ," Jessie shares her experiences, insights, and the inspiration behind her music. When I was writing down the names of the first 10 guests for the  Glotalks Show , Jessie was the first one on my list. I've always been fascinated by her story and seeing as she continues to break barriers, the story becomes more and more interesting. When we met, she made it a point to scope me out of the crowd and introduce me to her entourage. As years went by, we got closer but, even then, her passion for music always shined through. So when I got the opportunity to sit down with her and talk about her life and journey in the music industry, I couldn't resist going back to the beginn...

 " You're in it now! You can't quit!!" - Claudia Etwyse I remember briefly writing about executive decisions about two years ago. It has been something that's been placed on my heart ever since. When I wrote about it, it was a moment of clarity that happened while I was in Congo.  This time, when it was time for a solo episode, I tapped into that and the experience launching the  Glotalks Show  gave me. I used to be someone who needed a second or third opinion before making a decision. I never truly trusted my own instincts and even the decisions I made. But this time, I had to force myself out of the comfort zone and believe that the choices I made, were great and even if they weren't, at least, I get to reflect on them myself rather than blame others.  In this episode, I addressed my desires of answering the famous question " WHY". To know the why, is to understand the trajectory of your life. I also spoke about the story with my videographer, it h...

 " Where do you draw your inspiration from? " - Gloria M. On this week's episode of the Glotalks Show , I had the pleasure of sitting down with the multifaceted artist, Jeff Sanon . I wanted to delve into his creative journey and get some insights on it. I explored the many roles he embodies in his artistic endeavors and I believe I got answers to questions we've all been curious about. Before I met Jeff, I heard many good things about him. I may be biased but his music really stood out to me. And when I had the opportunity to meet him in person and watch him in his element, I was more impressed because the little time I spent around, made me respect the many hats he wears. He is a singer, songwriter, rapper, producer and executive producer. But above all, he is a student first. His understanding of music is what blew my mind.  I got to watch him turn my words into a beautiful song. I wanted to give him his flowers while simultaneously picking his brain. I really want...

" Consideration is the highest form of love."  I had the pleasure of having my best friend open up the guest episodes for the  Glotalks show . In this episode we covered how we met, our carriers, what we're hoping our 30's will be and what we've been able to learn about friendships as adults. I've known Maryse since grade 9 but I've gotten closer to her in my late 20's. She became a part of my life during a time when I needed a friend in my corner who wasn't afraid to tell me the truth. I was too dependent on people and often times got lost in it. She made it a point to often remind me of who I am and to snap me out of la la land when I started to get too comfortable.  I truly believe that the closeness of our friendship is a divine intervention. You never know who God will use to change the trajectory of your life. From the day I met her, she's had a great personality and a lot of confidence. She stood out wherever she was. The way she spoke a...

  " ... and when it happens, it's going to feel like a deja vue." - Jeannelle  I was desperately trying to figure out what I needed to do for my 30th birthday this year. I wanted to do something big because 30 needs to be celebrated but I kept saying to myself that I don't know enough people to make my birthday that big. I kept procrastinating on finding a hall and I think, deep down, I knew that I didn't want the big birthday I was desperately craving.  One night in March, I remember dreaming about people I've never met. It was such an odd dream because it went by days. It wasn't scattered like dreams normally are. One day, I was at the train station talking to a clerk. Then the next day I was in a foreign country that felt very familiar. Another day, I met one person by the door between the bathroom and the hall and gave them a message and another day, I was in the ocean with a man and a woman. While we were praying, I could see water tornado spinning ar...

"When you know your why, it's easier to fight for your life, what you believe in and how you get through your circumstances" - Anonymous Everyone I know, between the ages of five and ten, goes through the phase of asking the annoying question " WHY?"  and if your parents are like mine, the answer to those questions were always: " BECAUSE I SAID SO! ". Very few times did I ever get an explanation to my whys and I grew up very rarely asking important questions out of fear of getting yelled at or being annoying. This unfortunately spilled into my adulthood. The generic answer to my why is : " because that's just the way it is!" and move on to never address the subject again. Writing this down makes me realize how wild that is. LOL! I'm 30 this year and there is a burning question I desperately need an answer to and the question is "WHY". I am questioning so many things for example: " why is the sky blue? " or " w...

This year's birthday was intentional. It was detailed and calculated.  I was asked how I wanted to spend my birthday this year and a week prior to it, I had a case of the birthday blues. I didn't want to be around people and do things. There was only two people I knew I'd make an effort in going to see if they invited me somewhere but other than that, I really just wanted to spend the day indoors. Blinds closed with water and snacks.  My two best friends took it upon themselves to plan a small but very intimate birthday shindig for me and I couldn't of been happier and on my actual birthday, I received bad news that made it hard to celebrate so I did exactly how I felt. Stayed indoors, blinds closed and drank water and sprite..  There is a reason why everything happened the way it did. This gave me time to process the birth of my new project. The Glotalks Show . I have been talking about it so much that throughout the day, it was surreal that I was able to see myself pl...

"There is beauty behind fear and anxiety." - Gloria M. I used to be a very anxious person. I sometimes still feel it when I'm in public or about to shoot an episode. I try my best not to give into that emotion because as much as it plays out inside, it could easily show on the outside and that doesn't translate well on camera.  When I had to shoot the intro episode for the show, I was filled with so much anxiety. I remember answering my first question and my voice was shaking. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat. My brother, before reading the second question stopped and says : " I can hear you're nervous and anxious because your voice is shaking. Check that a little bit. Remember that this is all you. You've done this a thousand times in your room, now it's just on a bigger scale. You see the people in this room? forget they're here. This is all about you. You got this! "  I can never forget the confidence I felt in that moment.  I rememb...

 " This is such a full circle moment " - Gloria Mwange When I decided to work on this project, I wanted it photographed as well. What's a project without photographs amirite?? 😂 I had one specific person in mind but I kept browsing for other photographers. In the back of my mind, the person I wanted was too busy, so I needed to find a back up. This story is a big testimony you will hear about on the  #Glotalksshow . Remember when I said God orchestrated every details down to the people that were going to contribute to this project? well, Introducing : Amarah Creative Productions . Sarah Etienne who is the founder and lead photographer of the company, reached out to me proposing to capture the  #Glotalksshow  through photography. STUNNED was an understatement. I had only spoken to her once that I wanted to launch in 2024 but what she did was more than what I could ask for. The professionalism, the ideas while brainstorming & overall ambiance during the shoot to ...

 " God is in the details."  In 2012, when the talk show was just another entry in my journal, I thought up the idea of a newspaper. I wrote it down and left it alone. When God revived this idea last year and confirmed that it was time for the Glotalks show to see the light of day, He orchestrated everything. Down to the details. The time, the date & the people that were going to attach themselves to this project. Introducing : inscribe & Co - This company outdid itself. It's as if they were in my head and knew exactly what I was thinking. They had full creative freedom and brought to life a finished product that contributed exactly to this project. God reminded me to trust Him. That he was going to do exceedingly above all that I can imagine or think of. Though there are plenty moments I have yet to sit in awe of, seeing the finished product of the newspapers brought me to complete tears. Everything is in the details. I am so excited for you to embark on this jour...

" How can you be a leader and be disorganized?" - Gloria M. The month of June came so fast and with such a bang that I had to remind myself just how important organization is. I am of the type who, when stressed, I clean and reorganize my surroundings because I start to feel suffocated in the space I am in. I do so physically, but what happens when this is done mentally? This month really showed me how thorough I have to be. The things that cripple us a lot is lack of organization. Being organized inward spills outwards as well. How can you be a leader and be disorganized?  I was having a conversation with my little brother not too long ago and we were addressing how much we feel stressed because we're not organized. With our time, our lives, our finances etc... I reminded him that being organized just helps put things into perspective sometimes. I jokingly said :" Are you the type of person who refuses to close their tabs because they fear they'll lose the page ...

"it's only by zooming out that you get the full picture." - Gloria M. God works in mysterious ways. Two weeks into my sobriety journey, I was still torn between quitting and just taking a break from drinking. During that time, I kept asking God to give me an answer. I remember being at Costco and stopping on the condiment isle when a woman came up to me and said : " omg I love your boots! those kinds of Uggs aren't sold anymore. Where did you get yours? " ; I was caught off guard but flattered so I said : " I know right! I'm not quite sure where my mother found these but, they really come in handy when there's too much slush on the ground. " We both laughed. Then, she asked me a very interesting question. She said :" What is your goal this year? "  Imagine a stranger asking you this very personal question. My face tends to speak before my mouth does so I kind of gave her an apprehensive look like: " you're in my business...

" No, it's really that deep!" - Gloria M. I love that everything is a lesson and I'm excited to share this one with you. I was left stunned when it all came together for me. That " AH HA !" moment made me giggle and shake my head. How could I have missed it?. I'm going to try my best and make it make sense to you as well. Hear me out. A woman was sharing a story about her journey to a market that's about 3hrs from where she lives. She has crippling anxiety that makes it hard for her to leave her house. For the last 3 years, she has been challenging herself to drive to this market. When she'd drive and she's hit with anxiety, she'd turn around and go back home BUT, this particular day, she finally made it to the market and she couldn't stop crying. She kept saying : " I know it's just a market but it took me 3years to get here. this is a surreal feeling "  This video made me see God in the details. I saw God through a d...

"when you don't hear, you wait!" - Anonymous When you speak to anyone, you listen to them. You pay attention. You give them time to respond. Why don't you do that with God?  At the beginning of the month of April, I said that it would be the month of execution and my prayers were centered around it. All I kept doing was asking and talking and asking for more not taking the time to listen. I just kept making requests and not sitting with whether or not what I was asking for was available to me. I had a conversation with a beautiful lady who confirmed it. She verbatim said : " You have been talking to God and that's a really good thing but you haven't been listening to Him ". Hearing her say that, almost took the wind out of me. In that moment, I realized, the reason why I couldn't hear God's voice was because I WASN'T EVEN LISTENING TO BEGIN WITH! I just kept doing the talking. That changed how my month went. To execute my plans, I had to ...

 " When God tells you what to do, you do not hesitate "  3 years ago, IT'S TIME EVENT launched the BLACK BUSINESS EXPO in Ottawa, Canada. The concept is to have a day dedicated to all the black businesses to showcase their work, network and sell their products. This year, the expo was at the Shaw Centre. I've participated, bought things and enjoyed my time. But this year though, was different. Walk with me ... I got to see the work that goes into what makes the expo what it is. I had the privilege of helping my friend launch her long time dream at the expo. The older I get, the more I learn, you have to love the process. The sleepless nights, the anxiety, the breakdowns etc... are all a part of the process. if you don't tell yourself you're gonna quit at least 50 times, are you really dedicated to your goals? It's easy to have an idea and watch it come to life. The hard part, is maintaining it. The hard part is pushing through the ups and downs and comi...

"Utilize your entourage, people are way more opened than you think" - Jessie Simmons I remember saying that I wanted to have a baby. Not a human baby but a project. Something that I can start and finish. Something to be proud of and my prayers were answered. Lately though, my biggest challenge has been my ego. I have been battling between listening to God's voice and listening to my own voice. My own voice is filled with so much fear, doubts, and confusion and yet I keep wanting to give into it. I met up with a great friend last week and we were catching up on all things life. I love that life has been good for the both of us and it was a breath of fresh air seeing her. As I was updating her about what life has been like lately and what I'm looking forward to, I mentioned that I liked doing things on my own and that I don't really like asking for help and burdening others because it always comes with strings attached and that's not something I subscribe to and...

" you heal every time you break out of a cycle of letting hurt versions of your inner child make decisions for you as an adult" - Billy Chapata Offense is a very bizarre emotion. Walk with me... I sometimes spend my days watching and listening to tik tok live. They're usually Congolese. It's a way for me to keep up with what's happening within my culture and they usually have subject of conversations where people chime in, share their stories and talk about the lessons they learned. I'm sure you know me by now, I love a good lesson!  One day, they were covering a story about the death of a father and his son. They were brutally murdered in Toronto, Canada; which brought about the conversation that " parents who live abroad do not care too much about their children's whereabouts and well being. All they mostly care about is their money. " Congolese parents who raise their kids abroad are considered lazy and incompetent. That made me feel a way. Al...

 I remember scrolling on twitter one day and seeing a quote that said : " healing can be so hard when your inner child wants love, your teenage self wants revenge and your current self wants peace". This past week, this quote rang truer than I could of ever imagined. Life today is very different than a few months ago. I don't see grey anymore. The color is coming back and with that, comes a deep need to heal my inner child. This week was particularly hard because I've been asking God for clarity on a connection I desperately wanted to keep. A connection I knew deep down was not good for me. I talked myself into keeping the connection out of fear of abandonment. My reasons for keeping them around sounded logical but they weren't. I convinced myself that the discomfort will eventually go away. " We'll be good again " I said. Boy was I wrong! it was the complete opposite. I was triggered often. I was angry and I was uncomfortable the more they stuck ar...

" When you're trying to change your life for the better, things effortlessly adjusts to you. " - Gloria M. At the beginning of the month of February, I wrote on my calendar that this month will be a month of GRATITUDE . As the month went by, I found myself being grateful for the little things because God has been providing in ways I cannot explain.  Something amazing happened to me this past weekend and I thought I'd share.  It was my best friend's birthday, and we took her out of town for a well-deserved self care weekend. Weeks leading to the outing, I was having dreams of being belligerently drunk and I would wake up anxious. Sobriety is still new to me and I really wanted to honor my word to myself, not to drink that weekend. On Saturday, we took her to a restaurant. They ordered a bottle of wine, and I ordered a Moscow Mule (non alcoholic) it was really good. When the waiter found out about my best friend's birthday, he brought around complimentary shots....

" you're not good at doing something until you've been challenged into doing it."  This quote has been living in my head rent free for the past two weeks. I consider myself to be somewhat a jack of all trades and it amused me when I read this quote and realized just how true it really is. A good amount of efforts needs to be made before you can say you're good at doing something.  This year, I want to build a close relationship with God and to do that, a lot of changes needed to be made in order to live life the way God intends for me to live it. In the changes that I made, one thing I realized I have been doing even when I don't pay attention, is noticing my cup as half empty and not half full. This has been towing with my faith because all I can see is the negative and not much of the positive. Maybe I need some insight! I believe I mentioned that I want to become a gardener. A good one at that. I want for everything I touch to be healthy. This year I starte...

 " it will feel like you're at the end of the road. you will feel like you have nowhere else to turn but remember that your feelings will change. Stick to what you KNOW!" - Gloria M. The thing I want the most is being delayed and I am stuck. This thing that I want is the thing that will bring me peace. It is the one thing I am working diligently towards. I sleep/breath it. It has consumed 90% of my brain for the past year. I've made myself believe that it's the ultimate goal until further notice. But, today, it will be delayed again.  It feels like I kind of failed and I am very disappointed but how do I keep going and find a solution in the meantime?  " WORK WITH WHAT YOU GOT!" This phrase has been on repeat for the past hour and I have yet to understand what it means but I will do just that. I will work with what I got. Dear God, I know you speak to me through my circumstances. I may not understand the WHY right now but I know that I eventually will. I...