On The Other Side

Investigating insults…  The power of words…  Upgrading our language…  And finding identity beyond definition…Marushka (Loa Myst) hosts Khadija White - A fascinatingly versatile artist, whose career has spanned the mainstream and the underground with a unique aesthetic voice. Art directing a startling range of work from TV commercials and luxury spa decor to graffiti-focused art campaigns and interactive installations at alternative concert venues, Khadija is well versed in the language of creativity. Whether she’s styling international celebrities, creative directing photo shoots or hand-making bespoke jewelry for NYFW, Khadija savors the creation process, from cultivating conception to mastering craftsmanship. As best friends and co-founders of a design platform called Kiumbe Kulture, Marushka and Khadija have taken on New York Fashion Week, featured in Vogue Italia, designed jewelry for Erykah Badu, Lupita Nyong’o and designed the largest decor installation for the biggest shopping mall in East Africa. But most importantly - they’ve taken on the brave task of a best friendship that requires continual self-reflection and a collaborative commitment to compassion. Throughout their personal and professional bond, both Marushka and Khadija have become capable of unpacking the words they use - towards themselves and with each other - to find the secret power lurking in the language we use. In this episode’s sneak-peek (VIDEO LINK HERE), Marushka invites Khadija to play a seemingly innocent word-game that ends up helping them piece together some of the most haunting and hurtful but also playful and profound psychological puzzles, unpacking words, terms and labels that subtly shape the way we see ourselves and the world around us. Together, they research the roots of sayings, phrases and connotations that have long been robbed of their original context, restoring the power to where it belongs - within each of us. Contemplating all the ways we relate to ourselves through language, Marushka and Khadija also speak on bullying, belonging and beginning to find our authentic selves, often buried underneath our desire to please, be loved and feel valuable. Their contagious and often cackling laughter sometimes belies the trauma and verbal abuse they’ve both experienced, but they always circle back to a rare kind of vulnerability their best friendship has cultivated, inviting the listener to feel free in their loving and inclusive appreciation of people often shamed for being “different.”  Sharing their strangely unconventional and sometimes controversial paths to self-love, Marushka and Khadija remind us that there is always more time to discover, learn and teach each other anew. And that personal transformation is a continual process that moves not in straight lines, but rather scribbles our insides out - all over the map of our relationships with family, self and other - leaving us each with an individual language that is our very own birthright to leave unread or to decode and translate - if and when we decide we’re ready to know more.Support the show (https://unlockyourlegend.world)

Finding your Inner-Adult via consulting your Inner-Child... Choosing when you have no choice... Treating psychedelics as a tool for growth... And what's always worth waiting for... Marushka (aka Loa Myst) hosts Brian Msafiri - a true renaissance man, who manages to turn hobbies and side hustles into full fledged careers. As an actor, stylist, producer, brand ambassador, on-camera host (*legit, the list goes on…) Brian is a prime example of turning daydreams into living realities, laying the foundation of his life brick by brick and learning his lessons - f*ck up by f*ck up. From figuring out how to explain face tattoos and racism to our grandmas to reckoning with the eventual passing of our parents and the birth of our children, this episode unpacks the process of cultivating the authentic “maturity” most of us never learn from the world around us. Far from “finished’ and full of flaws and mistakes, Marushka and Brian are perfect examples of imperfect people finding their purpose and following their paths forward - sometimes baby stepping and other times, total free falling. Transparently candid and open-minded, Marushka and Brian curate a rare conversation re: adulthood that leaves judgement, shame and bullish!t behind. Last week's episode (WATCH/LISTEN HERE) introduces Marushka and Brian, pulling questions at random that inadvertently lead them into a poignant and pretty hilarious exploration of childhood, adulthood and a unique combination capable of keeping both in balance, which they call “Free Fall Adulting.” Part 1 & 2  explores every crevice of taboo conversation, from tips on trying LSD to getting caught having sex as a teenager (by your grandma), contemplating reincarnation, life in parallel realities and how we allocate our daydreams...Here in Part 3, Marushka describes the conversation as "two huge kids talking about what it takes to grow up" - digging a layer deeper into all the heart break and bliss we encounter throughout our “coming of age.” Highlighted by humor, Marushka and Brian hold space for the complexities of casual traumas that color how we remember the past and perceive our futures, contemplating the often unspoken experiences that we tuck away into private corners of our minds, craving to be shared, questioned and sometimes - rethought and transformed. Support the show (https://unlockyourlegend.world)

Learning and unlearning...  The art of letting go...  Transforming toxic traits...  Beyond the triggers of identity crisis...Marushka (aka Loa Myst) meets up with Danniella Morgan, a digital creator who identifies as a "high functioning empath" with an embedded passion to amplify the voices of what she calls "the universal underdog." Growing up between East Africa and the UK, Danniella declares her bi-racial background is a living example of how two cultures pitched against each other by history can actually live in complete harmony - when personal transformation is prioritized, respect is expressed, compassion is articulated and the possibility of oppression is uprooted by acknowledging that people are to be experienced and NOT possessed (**thank you, Nipsey Hussle wisdom). Declaring 2020 the era of ego death, Marushka and Danniella explore the countless aspects of coming to terms with our mortality and accountability. As all our delusions and projections are revealed, demanding to be healed, we realize that there's no shortcut to our next level. Sharing personal experiences with transforming toxic traits, Danniella and Marushka bond over the realization that shedding old skin and outdated perceptions can actually become more interesting that spending time seeking escapes. By continually remembering that not all of our thoughts are facts, we can catch our own anxiety-based lies in action and decode what these identity crises are trying to teach us. From physical health and body image to co-dependent relationships and racial discrimination, this episode travels across what seem like tangents to the untrained eye, but are truly endless expressions of the same old, tricky ego. Coming to terms with the fact that the ego doesn't just die once, but continually dies, reshapes and dies again - Danniella and Marushka share suggestions for simple ways we can check ourselves before we wreck the world. Emphasizing the empowerment available to all of us when we choose to accept responsibility for our own lives, this episode brings a lot of love and grounded optimism to this undeniably painful time of grieving, fighting, unfolding and transcending. Support the show (https://unlockyourlegend.world)

When life re-routes your plans… Questions we all ask ourselves (before, during & after quarantine)…  Busting the myth of being “normal…”  And the other side of nowhere…Marushka (Loa Myst) shares the questions she’s been hearing and the conversations she’s been having with people all over the world - questions about what we can and can’t control, conversations about what “normal” even means and how to release the fear of living without it. Exploring the effect of 2020’s plot twists and the tables continually turning, Marushka acknowledges the paradox of emotions and perspectives many of us are experiencing as the world we thought we knew keeps changing before our eyes. Providing ways to possibly reframe defeating points of view, she invites us to look at this global moment as a powerful opportunity - without any naively, sugar coated slogans or ignorant implications that ‘everything’s fine.’ Marushka instead suggests that perhaps everything being so far from fine and totally not normal is the gift of a century - one that might be capable of calling us to finally call the bluff on the bullsh!t social conditioning that has long kept us from fully expressing our eccentric, exquisite humanity. She also shares some behind-the-scenes moments that inspired her to create the 2020 Time Capsule - a video collage featuring real people around the world, sharing sneak peeks and slices of life that show us yet again how unique, strange and wonderful we all are - when we aren’t pretending to be someone else!To see & hear more about the “Now Here” series from the newborn platform Unlock Your Legend, join the journey on IG here: @unlockyourlegend Support the show (https://unlockyourlegend.world)

Finding your ideal ecosystem... Friendship detoxes...  Not-so-cute but oh-so-crucial personal growth... Why jealousy might be your best "frenemy..." Marushka (Loa Myst) hosts Edna Njeri, a digital creator and model from East Africa, whose content curates the entire spectrum of contemporary culture - from makeup tutorials and trap music to tips on using breath exercises for calming childhood trauma. A thoughtful conversationalist, Edna’s wisdom belies her years, just as her centered energy belies her internal battles. This is the essential blend that makes her so easy to talk to about the hard stuff. Having both emerged from “dark night of the soul” type transformations, Marushka and Edna have powerfully fresh perspectives on the process of what it actually takes to change your life. And zero judgement about wherever you are in that process. The episode begins by exploring our outermost experiences, like casual friendships vs. lifelong connections, and finally arrives at the innermost aspects of our growth (i.e. the confusing & convoluted relationship we have/don’t have with ourselves). Whether you’re a woman finding her way through female relationships or a dude doing his best to make sense of a situationship or the drama between his sisters and his mother, etc - this episode digs into some pretty heavy ideas with a playfully light heart. Edna and Marushka together create a space quite similar to a safe corner in the middle of loud party, where the conversational is real AF - but also, not that serious. If your inner critic is curious but still somewhat suspicious about your ability to truly change up your story, rearrange your relationships and manifest the life you secretly know you deserve, definitely take a listen to this episode ~ Future you will thank you. Support the show (https://unlockyourlegend.world)

Empaths (i.e. Mutants or Superheroes...) The science behind insomnia... Social Anxiety... Handling life as a "Highly Sensitive Person..."Marushka (Loa Myst) speaks candidly with you in this intimate episode, divulging a discovery that changed her life - Not only finding out she was an “Empath” aka “Highly Sensitive Person” but how she learned to find balance during three decades of binging, ghosting, trying too hard and caring too much.Whether you’ve heard about Empaths, wondered if they’re even real or already identify as being one, this episode is full of powerful gems for you. Sharing her own personal secrets as well as fascinating snippets of scientific findings that explain the sometimes mystifying symptoms of super sensitive behaviors and seemingly overly emotional reactions, Marushka offers a quick breakdown of how to turn your trauma into breakthrough.This episode might be an introductory crash course for newly curious Empaths or friends/family of Empaths wanting to better understand their loved ones; but it might also be a brush up for the more experienced Empaths, endlessly seeking more tips and tricks to empower and embody their unique type of energy. As always, Marushka unpacks the conversation from her own perspective, but simultaneously inquires, imagines and invites whatever you might be feeling on the other side...Inspired by a candid phone conversation with a close friend and creative collaborator (JINKU aka Jacob Solomon), the original chat is also available on Soundcloud:https://soundcloud.com/loa_myst/empaths-a-candid-conversation-w-loa-myst-her-producer-jinkuSupport the show (https://unlockyourlegend.world)

Social Media Hangovers...  Songs for the Apocalypse...  And a couple melancholy cynics with a dream to change the world...Marushka (Loa Myst) chats with Wanja Wohoro, a powerhouse singer/songwriter, visual artist and versatile storyteller, who grew up between Australia and East Africa ~Both mixed-race, multi-disciplinary millennials who use a dynamic range of creative mediums to tell emotional stories, Marushka and Wanja discuss the blessing/curse combo of being a contemporary creator in a constantly changing world. Is it too much to ask for a life of purpose that can still pay your rent? ...Is that a quintessential millennial question to ask? Wanja talks about her latest content series “Songs For The Apocalypse” and her experiences using social media as a makeshift stage for her explorations as a performer during the challenge of the COVID-19 climate.The two dive deeper yet into the depths of every millennial dilemma - from fatigue of the Internet to melancholic cravings, generational guilt manifested as physical illnesses, faux-intimacy hangovers and more...  Together, they navigate the unknowns of life in quarantine as "the last of the millennials" - determined to balance their inherent cynicism with their equally powerful desire to contribute positively, shift paradigms and (*however profoundly or pointlessly) - play their part in the big picture.Support the show (https://unlockyourlegend.world)

"Making the most" of quarantine...  Rediscovering with you really want...  Dealing with the ups and downs... Marushka (Loa Myst) talks to Mwangi Kariuki, an accomplished graphic designer, illustrator/animator and music producer, known for his unique blend of pop culture, fine art, random af humor and ancient zen philosophy.Marushka and Mwangi look at the reality facing us all, while reminding us to reconnect with our childlike imaginations. From obscene memes to obscure novels and nostalgic rap albums, the two traverse the entire landscape of our modern world to explore all the taboos of mental health, depression and creative success. Together, they peel back the seductive veil of perfectionism, finding not only their unique, personal blueprints but also - the bravery required to share these passions with the world. Support the show (https://unlockyourlegend.world)

Energy vampires...  Introvert/Extrovert balance... Learning to detach with love...Marushka (Loa Myst) catches up with ShiShi Wanj, a next level DJ, Journalist and absolutely must-know, multidimensional artist from Nairobi, Kenya.ShiShi's old soul wisdom belies her young babe body, but she balances both with grace and grit. Powerfully articulate and casually poetic, ShiShi tells Marushka about her experiences as a young woman obsessed with personal evolution.  They talk about the potential pitfalls of energy vampires (*especially the ones lurking in our families) and the way introvert-slash-extrovert people need to learn to prioritize their time and spiritual resources. Mostly, they learn how to find peace with the relationships that come and go throughout our lives, finding ways to love and let go, flow with the changing seasons - with trust in intuition, divine timing and the art of detaching with love. Support the show (https://unlockyourlegend.world)