“Ready to Love” reunion host Tanika Ray prides herself on not being a traditional mother.
On her brand new podcast “Mamaste,” she serves up a deluge of unapologetic and transparent conversations about navigating modern-day motherhood.
The Spelman graduate vows to tackle a host of relatable issues, including conscious parenting, single parenting, mental health, postpartum, and generational trauma healing, particularly in the Black community.
Previous special guests have included actress Lisa Raye, award-winning author Anita Kopacz and Grammy-nominated singer Maimouna Youssef. She has worked with NBC, CW, HGTV, LIFETIME, TLC, BET, TVOne and more.
ShineMyCrown talked to Ray about what to expect from her podcast.
ShinemyCrown: What inspired you to create “Mamaste?”
Tanika Ray: I wanted to create a safe space for mothers who are bravely navigating the unfamiliar path of mothering consciously.
SMC: Have you found that there has been an increase in mothers wanting to set up businesses from home since the pandemic?
TR: Yes, absolutely. We all got a taste of what life would be like working from home. There are great benefits like more control over your time, more face time with your kids, and more hours available for family bonding and self-care. With so many unknowns and job layoffs these days, many mothers are taking the power of making a living into their own hands.
SMC: How is it possible to create a work/home life balance while working from home?
TR: Work/home life balance is always a tricky undertaking. It’s possible when the day is scheduled with perfection, and one is fully present to the task at hand in each chapter of the day. That includes scheduling meditation, a long bath and drinking coffee too. Work/home life balance requires that our self-care be included, or there’ll be no balance at all.
SMC: What are some of the top self-care tips have to give mothers to maintain mental health and wellbeing?
TR: Never deprioritize your own needs in order to fit more of your kid’s or partner’s needs on the schedule. If you don’t honor your own needs, they won’t be considered. Go through your schedule and only keep the activities and events that are the most important. Events like a birthday party thrown by your child’s acquaintance might not be at the top of the list and can be purged from the calendar.
SMC: There isn’t a manual on how to raise children. But if you had to choose three books to help anxious new mothers…what would they be and why?
TR: The absolute first book I would recommend is “The Conscious Parent” by Dr. Shefali. Stumbling upon her on Oprah [Winfrey’s] Super Soul Sunday changed my life when I was seven months pregnant!
The second book I would recommend is “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Parenting” by Deepak Chopra to help amplify how not to sweat the small stuff.
And the most charged and just as important book is “Mother Hunger” by Kelly McDaniel. It is a gut-wrenching book that dissects and analyzes the trauma that we may be carrying from our youth that’s seeping into the way we parent today.
SMC: What’s next for Mamaste?
TR: “Mamaste with Tanika Ray will continue to hold space and illuminate a mother’s story. We all have so many jewels to share, and none of them include how to make the perfect dinner for your family. The incredible mic drop gems shared by our moms are practical and respectful, fascinating, and worthy of picking up. Mamaste with Tanika Ray is excited to host in-person events that continue to expand the way we see mothering and help moms reclaim themselves.”
You can listen to “Mamaste” here.
