Mindful Mondays with Shudu

Shudu was graduating — and she had a lot to say about it.In this deeply personal solo episode, she reflects on what it took to get to the other side of sacrifice: the promises she made to herself as a child, the survival mode that followed her to New York, and the 20-minute conversation she had with herself in the kitchen that changed everything. She traces the journey from a PPE degree in South...

In this episode of Mindful Mondays, Shudu sits down with Sinead Bovell — strategic foresight advisor, founder of WAYE, and one of the clearest voices on making the future of technology accessible, ethical, and truly inclusive.Together they explore what it means to be an active participant in the future rather than a passive observer of it. From the hidden biases embedded in AI systems to the...

We're back! After three months away, Mindful Mondays returns with fresh energy, new perspective, and a deeper sense of purpose. In this special welcome back episode, Shudu shares why she stepped away, what the break revealed, and what's ahead for Season 2. Season 2 is expanding: mental health in the age of AI, identity in the Global South, the impact of tech on children, and the stories and...

A small note from my desk to yours.Over the past few months, we’ve had conversations about joy, purpose, leadership, identity, belonging, mental health, and what it means to build a life that feels aligned. But one thing I’ve learned is that those lessons only matter if we are willing to live them ourselves.As many of you know, I recently graduated, and after a season of pouring into coursework,...

In this episode of Mindful Mondays with Shudu, Shudu sits down with Jeni Britton Bauer — entrepreneur, bestselling author, and founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, and now the founder of her newest venture, Floura — for a conversation about what it actually means to build with intention.From a 2015 Listeria recall that stripped her company to its foundation, to a deeply personal 2020 reckoning...

Part Two of the listener reverse interview — and this batch of questions went somewhere deeper.In this solo episode, Shudu answers your questions on inner peace, groundedness, identity, purpose, and growth. From how she finds quiet in a world designed for noise, to the single childhood prayer that anchors every hat she wears, to what six-year-old Shudu was like before the world started shaping...

In this episode of Mindful Mondays with Shudu, Shudu sits down with Taryn Bird — a leader who has spent over a decade embedding social impact directly into the business model at Kate Spade New York, not as a philanthropic add-on, but as core infrastructure.Together they explore what it actually means to move beyond performative philanthropy into long-term, values-aligned systems that prioritize...

You sent 59 questions. This is Part One.In this solo episode, Shudu answers the questions you would ask if you had the chance to interview her — and the themes that emerged say something important about where we all are right now. Mindset. Resilience. Self-belief. Healing. Loneliness. And the quiet, unglamorous work of becoming who you say you want to be.From pivoting careers and building...

n this episode of Mindful Mondays with Shudu, Shudu sits down with Ky Polanco and Aisha Becker-Burrowes, co-founders of Feminist — one of the largest platforms for women, girls, and gender-expansive people in the world, reaching over 25 million people monthly.Together they explore what it means to build media that doesn't just inform but activates. From the origin story of a late-night college...

In this solo episode, Shudu explores one of the quietest and most radical practices of all — learning to be kind to yourself.From the unconscious habit of self-criticism that erodes identity from the inside, to the simple but life-changing shift of saying "well done, you tried your best" at the end of a long day — this episode is an honest, personal reflection on what it means to build joy into...