The Shaping Freedom Podcast

Tune in for inspiring stories, engaging guests, and empowering insights to help you grow and unlock your potential. Hosted by Lisane Basquiat. New episodes every Tuesday.

Photo: Miranda Penn-Turin

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A Conversation About the Third Future: Mental Health, Art, and Beyond W/ Ainsley Burrows- Episode 72

In this episode of Shaping Freedom, we sit down with multifaceted, Jamaican-born artist Ainsley Burroughs for a heartwarming conversation. He tells us about his first solo exhibition, The Third Future: A Self-Portrait. Through this collection, Ainsley invites us into his inner world, where he explores the convergence of family, identity, and culture through a reflective and prospective lens.

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The Emotional Labor of Art W/ Joseph Awuah-Darko - Episode 70

In this episode of Shaping Freedom, we have a raw and honest conversation with British-born Ghanaian artist Joseph Aoua Darko. As an artist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, curator, and writer, Joseph bares so much of his soul, his artistic process, and how he has come to terms with his mental health and sexuality.

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Guiding Black Women To Transform Their Story W/ Monica Wisdom - Episode 69

Today, on Shaping Freedom, we are sitting down with a powerful and honest creator in the healing space, Monica Wisdom. Together we are going to explore Monica’s early experiences from losing her mother and what she learned about inner strength and knowing your life path. She is also going to share her insights on how self-worth, resilience, and community play pivotal roles in Black women's empowerment.

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De-intellectualizing Our Narratives w/ Aaron Robinson- episode 68

This episode, with Aaron Robinson, explores how we can curate a space where we can show true vulnerability and show true care to our spirits, and the healing power of somatic breathwork. Tune in for a powerful conversation on grief, community, and the path to authenticity, while embracing the beauty of our limitations without judgment.

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Real Talk About Dancing With Motherhood W/ Jasmine Harper | Be Greater Part 2 - Episode 67

This is part two of our special series with the founders of  Be Greater Than, a Lifestyle & Wellness brand created by Jasmine Harper and Randy C. Bonds for people to liberate themselves from self-imposed limitations.  Be sure to listen to it if you haven’t already. 

Jasmine Harper is the third founder of Be Greater Than and a recent mom.  In today’s episode Jasmine and I have a heartfelt and candid chat about the delicate balance between showing up for yourself and who you are and moving into a new role as mom without burning oneself out.

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Nurturing Your Soul, Building Your Tribe W/ Ashley Everett And Randy C. Bonds | Be Greater Than Part 1 - episode 66

In today’s episode, I sit down with the founders of  Be Greater Than, a Lifestyle & Wellness brand created by Ashley Everett, Jasmine Harper, and Randy C. Bonds for people to liberate themselves from self-imposed limitations. This is part one of a two-part series where, I am going to be talking to Ashley and Randy about the broader meaning of what Be Greater Than is and how their organization builds community in support of wellness. Part two will focus on the lessons Jasmine is learning on her journey through new parenthood.

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Lisane Basquiat Lisane Basquiat

A Creative's Journey From Passion to Purpose with Robert Young - episode 65

Today, we welcome Robert Young, a legacy filmmaker, host of the Bright and Shining Podcast, and founder of R7 Holdings. Together we reexamine the intersections of creativity, mental wellness, and passion in our professions and social connections. In this episode, Robert walks us through his journey of social healing and passion, and shares how we can recharge our spirits and creativity.

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When Our Emotions Need Space w/Abby Kamen - episode 64

Today, on Shaping Freedom, I sit down with author, speaker, mother, and someone so full of love and wisdom, Abby Kamen. Coming hot off the release of her new book Generation We, we discuss how trauma can affect us all. While not all trauma may be created equal, we are all equal in the baggage that we carry in the aftermath of our pasts.

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The Business of Being Creative With Ian Davis - Episode 62

Today on Shaping Freedom, we ask what it means to support creators as they step into the world of business. For too long, artists and creatives have found themselves left out of the world of business acumen, including the marketing and the finances around their work. Enter Ian Davis, Founder of Age of the Creative.

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Shanti Das on Breaking the Mental Health Stigma - Episode 61

In this episode’s conversation with Shanti Das, founder of Silence the Shame. After tragedy struck Shanti’s personal life, her public life became one of health and healing. She dives into the way this tragic has guided her, how her work within the hip hop community has bled out into wide reaching groups, and how it’s time that men finally talk about their feelings in a more honest and real way.

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What is Black Mental Wealth? With Dr. Raquel Martin - Episode 59

Guest Dr. Raquel Martin, a licensed clinical psychologist, professor at Tennessee State University, the host of the “Mind Ya Mental” podcast, and self-identified liberation psychologist. Dr. Martin's powerful and open belief in the power of Black Mental Wealth naturally draws people to her unparalleled work. In this insightful conversation Dr. Martin guides us through Impostor Syndrome, relationship values, identifying and establishing boundaries, what it means to be culturally appropriating versus appreciating, and the vital need for diverse representation in media

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Fighting Social Media Burnout With Lia Haberman - Episode 58

Social media guru Lia Haberman sits down to talk about how social media has changed the way we consume media for better and for worse. Lia also tells us how content creators and influencers have changed the way we interact with a social network in the first place.

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Kevin Powell’s take on love, violence, and responsibility of creatives. – Episode 55 (pt.2)

In this two-part episode of Shaping Freedom, Lisane interviews Kevin Powell, a poet with Jersey roots and a Grammy nomination tucked under his belt, about family, resilience, and his album, "Grocery Shopping with My Mother," birthed from real-life trips to the store with his ailing mom. Listen as we explore love, health, and his surprise Grammy nomination. In the second part of this powerful conversation, Liasane and Kevin both look at the responsibilities and influences that creatives and their works have regarding the world and society around them. They later transition into why the creative’s journey is so important to shaping them and their works.

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Kevin Powell on the intersection of hip-hop, poetry, and an unwell society – Episode 55 (pt.1)

In this two-part episode of Shaping Freedom, Lisane interviews Kevin Powell.

A poet with Jersey roots and a Grammy nomination tucked under his belt, about family, resilience, and his album, “Grocery Shopping with My Mother,” birthed from real-life trips to the store with his ailing mom. Listen as we explore love, health, and his surprise Grammy nomination. In the first part of this series, Lisane and Kevin focus heavily on what it means to break the shackles of toxic masculinity and what it means to find love in a heartless society. 

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Journey of Resilience with Dr. Salvatore Forcina – Episode 53

In this episode of Shaping Freedom, host Lisane Basquiat interviews Dr. Salvatore Forcina, an accomplished doctor and author of The American Doctor.

Dr. Forcina shares his inspiring story of overcoming obstacles and achieving the American Dream through education, hard work, and resilience. 

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