You Ain’t Imagining This!
You Ain’t Imagining This! (YAIT) is an extension of Ama-Robin Lofton's the Espresso Talk Today Podcast. It is a bold and mindful podcast rooted in Black truth-telling, healing, and collective power. Through stories, reflections, and honest conversations, YAIT uplifts the lived experiences of Black folks—past, present, and future—reminding listeners they’re not alone, not exaggerating, and not imagining what they’ve seen, felt, or known. With four soul-nourishing episode types—YAIT Stories, Espresso Talks, Believe Black People, and Comforting Moments—this podcast creates space for truth, tenderness, and transformation.
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Welcome to Nommo Books- Finale: Behind the Story
11/14/2025
Welcome to Nommo Books- Finale: Behind the Story
In this final audio walkthrough of Nommo books, we'll go behind the story of the past audios and why we built Nommo Books in YAIT Town.
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Welcome to Nommo Books - Part 2 : The Boy Who Wouldn't Leave The Library
11/14/2025
Welcome to Nommo Books - Part 2 : The Boy Who Wouldn't Leave The Library
Listen to this Nommo Books Story about the boy who wouldn't leave the library
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Welcome to Nommo Books - Part 3: My First Visit
11/14/2025
Welcome to Nommo Books - Part 3: My First Visit
Nommo Books — The First Visit I remember the first time I stepped into Nommo Books. The air was warm, thick with the smell of paper and cardamom tea. Rain had followed me all the way from the corner, and when I closed the door behind me, the city seemed to exhale and go quiet. Inside, the light was soft and amber. A record player somewhere in the back was spinning a Coltrane ballad that wrapped itself around the room–I could tell it was a record because of the distinct crackling sound! I love hearing the sax and the crackling. I stood for a moment just to listen. Otherwise, the store was silent. But it wasn’t a silence that told you to whisper or walk softly — it was a silence that said, safe. The shelves were tall and full, but nothing about them felt still. The names on the spines — Morrison, Baldwin, Sanchez, Butler — seemed to hum together, low and steady, like a choir warming up. I ran my hand along the wooden shelves, and my anticipation jumped with the thought of having access to so much brilliance at my fingertips. Then something familiar but not experienced for a long time grabbed my attention. Off to my left, there was a small circle of elders gathered around a wide wooden table near the front window. Newspapers were spread out beside mugs of coffee, and the conversation moved easily between laughter and low debate — about politics, about the neighborhood, about what the grandkids were up to. It felt like home, like the kind of talk that keeps a community connected thru generations.. Farther back, through a half-open doorway, I glimpsed the Story Room. Bright pillows scattered across the floor, children sitting cross-legged while someone read aloud from a picture book. Their voices rose and fell with the rhythm of the tale, and their laughter spilled into the hallway like sunlight. Near the center of the shop stood the Book-of-the-Month table. A notebook lay open beside a stack of novels wrapped with twine, filled with handwritten notes from readers — “This line broke me open.” “Read this one slow.” “Reminded me of my mama.” And by the door, a cork bulletin board overflowed with flyers: a poetry reading, a rent-strike meeting, a drumming class, a healing circle. Nommo Books wasn’t just a store; it was the town’s bulletin of living, breathing connection. That’s when I saw her. Ms. Geneva Carter, behind the counter, wearing a deep purple scarf and glasses that caught the lamplight. She didn’t rush to greet me. She looked up, smiled like she already knew me, and her eyes said, “You’re welcome.. Take your time. The story you need will call your name when it’s ready.” I nodded, understanding that I didn’t need to speak my thoughts outloud. There was a kettle steaming somewhere, and the sound of pages turning, and the faint click of someone typing notes on a keyboard.. I found a seat near the window, beside a stack of used paperbacks bound with twine. Outside, the rain kept time against the glass. For a while, I just sat there. I read a little, then looked up, then read again. A woman laughed softly in the next aisle. Someone hummed a hymn I half-remembered from childhood. And for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was part of the sound — not intruding, not surviving, just belonging. Before I left, Ms. Carter slipped a small bookmark into my hand. On it, she’d written, You are never alone in a Black bookstore. I keep it with me still — a reminder that our stories are waiting, and that home can be found in the turning of a page. You’re never alone in a Black bookstore.
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Welcome to Nommo Books - Part 1: An Entrance Walk-through
11/14/2025
Welcome to Nommo Books - Part 1: An Entrance Walk-through
Let me welcome you to the warm and peaceful hub that is Nommo books with this audio walk-through experience. In this first part, we step inside and breathe in the scent of coffee and sandalwood. Books line the shelves like friends waiting to be introduced, Sometimes you’ll even find a handwritten note tucked inside — a quote, an affirmation, a reminder that you belong. Nommo Books is more than a bookstore; it’s a heartbeat of memory, resilience, and imagination
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You’ve Done Enough: A Comforting Moment of Letting Go
11/13/2025
You’ve Done Enough: A Comforting Moment of Letting Go
This special Comforting Moment invites you to pause the noise, settle your spirit, and rest in the calm rhythm of the harvest season. In YAIT Town, the air is cool, the garden is quiet, and the work is finally done. Here, we practice the art of receiving and releasing—taking in what still nourishes us, letting go of what no longer serves us, and blessing it all with gratitude. Through gentle narration and grounding soundscapes, storyteller Ama-Robin guides you into stillness—where breath slows, shoulders soften, and the mind unclenches. This isn’t a story about doing more; it’s a reminder that enough has already been done. Wherever you are, let this be your sacred pause. Come rest in the calm. Come gather your peace.
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Harvest Time: Choosing What We Keep and What We Let Go
11/06/2025
Harvest Time: Choosing What We Keep and What We Let Go
This week in YAIT Town, we walk together to the Community Garden—the heart of our village and the keeper of quiet wisdom. The rows are slower now, the air cooler, and the season is asking hard but necessary questions: What is still feeding you? What have you outgrown? What are you carrying that no longer needs to travel with you? In this YAIT Story, “The Gathering,” Ama-Robin meets Mama Abena among the collards, sage, and falling leaves to learn the art of harvesting without hurry—of knowing when to hold on and when to let go. Through story and reflection, we explore what it means to gather only what nourishes and to release what has already served its purpose. Come breathe, listen, and gather what’s truly yours to keep. Welcome home to YAIT Town.
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Welcome to YAIT Town: The Walking Tour
10/30/2025
Welcome to YAIT Town: The Walking Tour
YAIT Town isn’t on any map — it’s a Black sanctuary built from story, memory, and imagination. In this special episode, sistah-host Ama-Robin invites you to be among the first to walk its streets and feel its rhythm. The tour begins on the front porch where we meet, connect, and recharge together. Then we will visit a Black-centered bookstore that lights up the main street, our soul-centered café that fills the air with laughter and cornbread, the George Washington Carver Community Garden where freedom grows from the soil, and our barber-beauty shop that hums with clippers and community. YAIT Town is more than just a "place" — it’s a way of coping, healing, and building together. This is a Black town — a digital sanctuary for our stories, our joy, our rest, and our wholeness. In this opening walk through YAIT Town, you’ll hear the sounds of children playing, feel the peace of the porch light, and know without a doubt: you belong here. Come take the first walk. The porch light’s already on. You never walk it alone. You ain’t imagining this!
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Nighttime on the Porch: A YAIT Comforting Moment
10/23/2025
Nighttime on the Porch: A YAIT Comforting Moment
In this Comforting Moment episode, host and sistah-guide Ama-Robin Lofton invites you to sit on the porch with a glass of sweet tea at dusk. Together, we slow down, breathe, and remember what it feels like to belong. Through gentle storytelling and guided reflection, Ama-Robin reminds us that safety isn’t always found in crowds or conversation, but in quiet company—the kind that sees you without words. This moment of rest and presence is part of the You Ain’t Imagining This! sanctuary series, offering peace, grounding, and connection for Black listeners navigating a noisy world. Take a few minutes to exhale. To feel held. To remember that you are never alone. So pour yourself something warm, exhale, and come take your seat. Because on this porch, the light stays on for you.
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Sit With Me: How You Can Keep Your Peace and Power
10/16/2025
Sit With Me: How You Can Keep Your Peace and Power
The porch. The veranda. The stoop. Whatever you call it, it’s the space where we learn, rest, and remember who we are. In this story, five children visit five porches—each one offering its own lesson: how to listen, how to love in truth, how to be still, how to come home, and how to stay strong when the world refuses to see your light. They return feeling safe, cherished, and forever changed. The porch is more than a step outside your door—it’s a safe zone, a classroom, and a reminder that peace and power belong to you. But we have to claim it. We have to be mindful of where we sit, who sits with us, and what we allow to follow us home. So come sit with me. Let’s breathe, reflect, and remember the spaces that keep us whole.
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Food Is Not Just Food: Reclaiming Our Tables and Our Power
10/09/2025
Food Is Not Just Food: Reclaiming Our Tables and Our Power
Pull up a chair for a soulful conversation about food, culture, and community! For us, food has never been just food. It’s memory. It’s resistance. It’s joy. It’s how we have loved, organized, healed, and built community — even in the hardest times. From the cookfires of the enslaved to the cafés of the Harlem Renaissance to today’s kitchen tables, our meals have carried the stories of who we are and what we’ve survived. But in a world that glorifies hustle, isolation, and convenience, many of us have lost the table — that sacred space where culture and connection live. Ama-Robin brings it all home with truth and tenderness, exploring how we can reclaim the table as a revolutionary act of care and collective power. You’ll hear about the history of Black food gathering spaces, the challenges of modern disconnection, and what it means to cook and eat from our roots again. And because reflection must lead to action, she offers ten concrete ways to reclaim the table — from small daily rituals to community-building gatherings that feed both body and spirit. Food connects us. Food reminds us. And when we come together around it, we are unstoppable. Listen and learn: Why food is a form of resistance, not just nourishment How communal meals build strength, belonging, and joy What we lose when we abandon our cultural tables Ten practical ways to reclaim food as a tool of liberation and love Pull up your chair. Pour your tea. Grab your plate. This isn’t just a talk about food — it’s a call to remember that together, we are the table.
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You're Never Alone in a Black Bookstore: A YAIT Story about Belonging
10/02/2025
You're Never Alone in a Black Bookstore: A YAIT Story about Belonging
While I’m traveling this week, I’m bringing back a listener favorite: You’re Never Alone in a Black Bookstore. This isn’t just about books. It’s about belonging! I'm Ama-Robin, your guide on this storytelling journey. Black bookstores are more than shops—they are sanctuaries, places where we’re seen, celebrated, and reminded that our stories matter. This YAIT Story takes you inside one of those spaces. In this immersive Village episode of You Ain’t Imagining This!, I will guide y'all inside a Black-owned bookstore—a space where history lives, wisdom flows, and the Black community thrives. Through storytelling, reflection, and real conversation, we will explore how these bookstores are more than stores—they’re classrooms, healing grounds, memory keepers, and hubs of joy. This YAIT Story is a glimpse of what that space will feel like: safe, welcoming, and filled with voices that remind us we are never alone. And yes, when YAIT Town opens very soon, there will be a Black Bookstore waiting for you there. This YAIT Story is a glimpse of what that space will feel like: safe, welcoming, and filled with voices that remind us we are never alone. And yes, when YAIT Town opens this month, there will be a Black Bookstore waiting for you there! As you listen, I’d love to know: What’s a Black book, author, or bookstore that has held you, taught you, or carried you through? Share your reflections with me on [Substack link] or [Instagram link] so we can keep building our library of love and resistance together. 📚 Got a favorite Black bookstore or book? Share it! 💬 Let’s talk about the spaces that hold us—and how we can protect, support, and remember them. Follow @AmaRobinTells on Instagram so you don’t miss what’s next: YAIT Town! You’re never alone in a Black bookstore. You ain’t imagining this.
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How to Move from Survival Coping to Healthy Coping: A Believe Black People Episode
09/25/2025
How to Move from Survival Coping to Healthy Coping: A Believe Black People Episode
Coping can keep us alive — but it also can come at a terrible cost. In this Believe Black People episode, Ama-Robin shares a personal story of survival coping, connects it to the weight that we as Black people have carried for generations, and names the truth: resilience is not permission, and survival is not freedom. Together, we’ll move from survival coping to empowered personal and collective coping. You’ll hear truth-telling, an empowering meditation, and practical steps to release the burdens we were never meant to carry. Because coping is not consent. And you ain’t imagining this.
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The Weight We Carry: A Black Empowerment Story
09/18/2025
The Weight We Carry: A Black Empowerment Story
How to Carry Less and Live More: A Black Empowerment Choice This episode is a modern folktale that asks: What are we carrying, and what might it feel like to finally set it down? I’m Ama-Robin, your storyteller and guide at You Ain’t Imagining This — the sanctuary where we name the chaos of living Black in white spaces and remember that we don’t have to carry it alone. It’s a story meant for reflection and meditation, with river sounds and a calm, steady pace — an invitation to rest your body, quiet your mind, and imagine release. Afterward, we’ll explore what this means for how we cope, both individually and as a community. And stay tuned — this story is also a doorway into the coming of YAIT Town, a sanctuary of porches, gardens, rivers, and libraries where we learn to carry less and live more. Because coping is survival. But survival isn’t the end of our story.
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The Coping Tax: How High-Effort Coping Drains Black Health and Joy
09/11/2025
The Coping Tax: How High-Effort Coping Drains Black Health and Joy
I’m Ama-Robin, host of You Ain’t Imagining This — the storytelling sanctuary where we name the chaos of living Black in white spaces and remember that we don’t have to carry it alone. In this episode, we sit on the porch with the fictional character, Mrs. Alberta Jenkins, a retired teacher and elder in our community, as she names something many of us know but rarely say out loud: the coping tax. The coping tax is the high-effort coping we pay every day just to exist in spaces that weren’t built for us. It’s the price that shows up in our bodies, our spirits, and our peace of mind. You’ll hear stories, reflections, and a simple ritual for shaking a little of it off. Together, we’ll explore how to recognize unhealthy coping — and begin reclaiming the practices that restore us instead of draining us. In this episode, we talk about: What the “coping tax” is and how it shows up in daily Black life. Real examples of high-effort coping: Working twice as hard for half the recognition. Smiling or laughing when something isn’t funny to avoid being labeled “angry.” Pushing through illness or exhaustion to prove you’re reliable. Code-switching until you barely recognize yourself. The illusion of “paying the tax” — and the true cost to our health, rest, and family. A small ritual from Mrs. Jenkins’ porch to help you release some of the day’s weight. And this is just the beginning. Starting next month, we’ll step fully into YAIT Town — a sanctuary of porches, gardens, rivers, and libraries where our stories and healing practices live. In this episode, you’ll catch the first glimpse of that place. Because coping is survival. But survival isn’t the end of our story.
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While I Rest: A YAIT Comforting Moment
08/21/2025
While I Rest: A YAIT Comforting Moment
This final episode of the Black Summer Healing Session is a sacred invitation to pause. Across seven weeks, we’ve released burdens, reclaimed joy, and restored balance. Now, Ama-Robin presents this episode, While I Rest. This meditative episode offers a soft place to breathe and remember. ✨ You’ll receive seven remembrances—one from each session—to guide your reflection. ✨ You’ll hear a closing folktale that reminds us why rest is holy. ✨ You’ll be invited into a gentle ritual of gratitude and self-affirmation. Rest is not weakness. Rest is healing. Rest is liberation. Asante sana for journeying through this Black Summer Healing Session. If this episode spoke to you, please like or share it with someone who needs a moment of rest today.
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You Ain’t Imagining the Hustle—And It’s Hurting our Health!
08/14/2025
You Ain’t Imagining the Hustle—And It’s Hurting our Health!
In this Espresso Talk, storyteller Ama-Robin names “the Hustle” for what it is—a survival pattern of overwork and over-achievement born from our history. It is stealing our rest, our joy, and even our health. From the based-in-truth story of Miss Josie Mae to the groundbreaking research of Dr. Sherman James, we explore how constant high-effort coping wears us down and how we can choose freedom instead. You’ll walk away with tools to slow down, reclaim your breath, and live in alignment with your body, spirit, and community. You’ll get in this episode: Real-life examples of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual hustle How hustle culture damages our health and spirit Practical steps to slow down and protect your well-being Bonus: Grounding Ritual for Release Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes if it feels safe. Place your hands over your heart. Inhale deeply for a count of 4. Hold for 2. Exhale for 6. Repeat three times. Whisper or think: “I am more than what I do. I am enough as I am.” Imagine placing the weight you’ve been carrying into the earth beneath you, knowing it can hold it. Open your eyes when you’re ready, carrying only what’s yours to carry. Learn More & Support Black Scholars In this episode, we mentioned the powerful work of several Black researchers, writers, and organizations who are helping us live longer, healthier, and more liberated lives. Their work supports us—let’s support them back. Dr. Sherman James – Epidemiologist and creator of the a tool for understanding how high-effort coping affects health, especially in Black communities. Learn more about his research and take the scale . Tricia Hersey – Founder of and author of Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto. Her work reclaims rest as a form of resistance and a healing right for Black people. Learn more here. (ABPsi) – An organization dedicated to advancing Black-centered psychology, mental health, and community well-being. They remind us that our history and culture are core to our psychology. Learn more and support their work here.
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Laying Down the Armor: A YAIT Comforting Moment
07/31/2025
Laying Down the Armor: A YAIT Comforting Moment
We’ve worn emotional armor to survive—from slavery to segregation to being “the first” in white spaces. But healing means knowing when (and how) to set that armor down. In this Comforting Moment, we honor what protected us and gently choose rest. Through breath, reflection, and a powerful gratitude meditation, we invite the safety of community, culture, and ancestral strength. 💛 In this episode, you’ll receive: A grounding visualization for emotional release A cultural reminder that you are never alone in your healing A soft but powerful meditation to thank your armor—and prepare for freedom ✨ Don’t miss the Gratitude Ritual Gift in the show notes. You don’t have to carry it alone. Not today. 🌿 Gratitude Ritual: Laying Down the Armor You’ll need: A quiet space A comfortable seat A small object that represents protection (e.g. a scarf, stone, bracelet, or even your hand on your chest) A candle or soft light (optional) Step 1: Settle and Breathe Sit in stillness. Place your hands over your heart or on your chosen object. Take three deep, slow breaths. On each exhale, gently release some of the tension you’ve been carrying. Step 2: Acknowledge the Armor Close your eyes and name the armor you’ve worn: Perfection Silence Always being “the strong one” Smiling when you’re hurting Preparing for harm, even when it doesn’t come Say softly (or in your heart): “I see you. I know why you were needed. Thank you for protecting me.” Step 3: Honor Your Lineage Speak to those who came before you: “Thank you to the ones who wore this armor before me. Thank you for surviving, resisting, and preparing the way.” Name one ancestor, mentor, or community member who carried armor so you didn’t have to. Step 4: Release With Intention Now, hold your object or place your hand on your chest and say: “I am safe enough to set you down—for now.” “I release what I no longer need to carry.” “I am not alone.” Visualize the armor gently loosening, sliding off, or being laid beside you like a beloved coat that you’ll only wear when needed. Step 5: A Blessing Forward Place your hand over your heart and speak this aloud: “May I move through the world with tenderness and strength.” “May I trust that I am protected by love, community, and wisdom.” “May I prepare the way for those who come next.” End with a soft, full breath. 💫 Return to this ritual whenever the armor feels too heavy. You’re allowed to rest. You’re allowed to heal. You’re allowed to lay it down.
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Letting Go Ain't Weakness: A YAIT Story on Black Self-Love
07/24/2025
Letting Go Ain't Weakness: A YAIT Story on Black Self-Love
Letting go is never simple—especially for Black people living in predominantly white spaces-- where we’ve been expected to carry more than our share and to do it quietly. But what if letting go is not abandonment, but liberation? What if it’s an act of love? In this warm, reflective episode, Ama-Robin invites you into three immersive stories —slow-paced, story-driven, and deeply rooted in Black cultural truth. ✨ Story 1: Dreams Left at the Door A woman returns to the porch where she first dreamed big, and grieves the pieces of herself she left behind. ✨ Story 2: Auntie’s Place A neighborhood elder helps visitors release the pain they’ve been told to forget, through ancestral ritual and quiet resistance. ✨ Story 3: Laying It Down at the Door One woman reflects on the sacred art of not carrying everything—not for everyone, and not forever. Each story reminds us that letting go isn’t erasure—it’s making room. It’s how we reclaim our breath. And how we practice self-love that is not Eurocentric, individualistic, or shallow—but cultural, communal, ancestral, and real. This episode includes: Grief and rage naming rituals Ancestral practices of release Black psychology of emotional weight A Beyond the Story reflection on self-love and sacred release At the end, you’ll hear a short breathing cue and reflection to help you ease into your own ritual of release. 📍 You ain’t imagining this. And you never had to carry it alone. 🧘🏾♀️ Letting Go & Cleansing Rituals: Here are a few simple, sacred practices to support your release: 🕊️ Name & Water Ritual Whisper the name of what you’re releasing into a bowl of water. Pour the water out under an open sky. 🔥 Burning the Lie Write down a false belief or racist message you were told. Burn the paper safely and say: “This no longer belongs to me.” 🌿 Herbal Holding Hold a grounding item—like a smooth stone or fresh herb (basil, rosemary, or sage). Say aloud: “This is heavy. But I am not alone.” 📓 Journaling Prompt What have I been asked to carry that never belonged to me? What am I ready to lay down at the door?
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The Circle that We Couldn't Save - A YAIT Story of Unity
07/17/2025
The Circle that We Couldn't Save - A YAIT Story of Unity
Alafia, fam! “Some circles can’t be saved. But new ones can be born.” In this third episode of the Black Healing Summer session, Ama-Robin invites you to slow down and breathe as she takes you on a journey through an insightful folk tale. You'll hear about an African village's sacred circle disrupted by an outsider’s influence, leading to important lessons about the strength--and fragility--of our own sacred spaces. Ama-Robin draws a powerful connection to our present realities, shedding light on the importance of protecting our circles and knowing when it’s time to rebuild. Stick around for the 'Beyond the Story' segment, where you'll dive deeper into these themes and reflect on your own sacred spaces and boundaries. Remember, sometimes it's okay to walk away to protect your peace. “This isn’t just a story. It’s a mirror—and a warning.”✨💫 Three Reasons to Tune In: 🥁 Immerse yourself in a beautiful folk tale that carries deep truths. 🌟 Learn how to recognize and protect your own sacred spaces. 💬 Reflect on your own circles and consider what keeps them whole. If this resonates with you, be sure to subscribe and share it with someone who needs to hear it. You deserve to feel safe, in rhythm, and connected. See you there!
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The Black Healing Room: A YAIT Story on Rejuvenation
07/10/2025
The Black Healing Room: A YAIT Story on Rejuvenation
What if you had a space where you could breathe, release, and remember who you are—no explanations, no performance, just presence? In this episode, we step into The Black Healing Room—a sanctuary we can carry with us, anywhere. This is Part 2 of The Black Healing Summer Session—a season-long journey into rest, release, and renewal. You’ll experience a special Comforting Moment guided visualization to help you imagine your own healing space. And in the Beyond the Story segment, Ama-Robin explores the importance of both individual and collective Black healing—and the radical, liberating power of daydreaming. ✨ Come as you are. ✨ Take what you need. ✨ You ain’t imagining this.
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The Day I Let My Burdens Fall: A YAIT Story
07/03/2025
The Day I Let My Burdens Fall: A YAIT Story
In this first episode of The Black Healing Summer Session, host and storyteller Ama-Robin invites you into a powerful reflection on what happens when we stop carrying everything alone. Through an immersive story, she shares the experience of a Black woman professional who finally decides to lay down the invisible burdens she’s been holding: perfectionism, hypervigilance, and the relentless pressure to prove herself. In the Beyond the Story segment, Ama-Robin reads Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “We Wear the Mask,” and explores how generational expectations to stay “strong” have shaped—and strained—our spirits. ✨ 3 Things You’ll Hear in This Episode: A moment of quiet liberation in a work parking lot that becomes the start of real healing A reflection on how ancestral wisdom helps us unlearn what exhausts us Simple, powerful practices to release what you no longer want to carry This is the beginning of The Black Healing Summer Session—a season-long journey into rest, release, and renewal. Come as you are. Take what you need. And remember: you ain’t imagining this. 🎧 If this story resonates, subscribe, share, and join us for the full series.
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Juneteenth Is Not Just a Holiday: Believe Black People Episode
06/26/2025
Juneteenth Is Not Just a Holiday: Believe Black People Episode
Juneteenth has passed—but we’re not moving on. Because we still don’t have full freedom. And we damn sure don’t have true liberation. This Believe Black People episode of You Ain’t Imagining This! was generously loaned by the Espresso Talk Today team—and we thank them deeply for this offering. In this powerful audio celebration, you’ll hear: 📖 An original, fact-based Juneteenth story read by Marlene Slaughter 📜 A historical reflection from Elder Mel, reading a rare first-person account from her great-grandaunt Miss Rosina Hoard—who had been enslaved in Texas 💬 A deep, unflinching discussion about what Juneteenth means, how it’s been commercialized, and what still needs to change for Black folks in the U.S. This is more than a commemoration. It’s cultural clarity. It’s remembrance. It’s resistance. And yes, it’s a celebration too—featuring the voice of Nina Simone singing “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free.” 🖤 Come as you are. Take what you need. And don’t let this day—or what it stands for—be forgotten.
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The Porch Light is Always On - An Immersive Story of Belonging
06/19/2025
The Porch Light is Always On - An Immersive Story of Belonging
This is more than memory. It’s a reminder: you were never alone. In this special Juneteenth bonus episode of You Ain’t Imagining This!, storyteller Ama-Robin guides you through a quiet, powerful tale about coming home, being expected, and the radical love embedded in one simple ritual: the porchlight. This immersive story takes you on a long drive home through California’s dust belt—toward a light left on without fail. It’s about more than safety. It’s about belonging. The kind passed down through generations. The kind that says: we’re still here, and we’re waiting for you. After the story, stay for a Beyond the Story reflection where Ama-Robin explores the deeper meaning of these everyday rituals in Black life—and why they still matter as acts of protection, presence, and resistance. ✨ Released in honor of Juneteenth, this bonus episode is a tribute to the ways we care for one another, even in silence. 🖤 Come as you are. Take what you need. And if someone needs to feel seen today—share this with them.
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Sounds of the Cookout - A YAIT Comforting Moment Episode
06/12/2025
Sounds of the Cookout - A YAIT Comforting Moment Episode
Sometimes peace sounds like laughter, a sizzling grill, and an uplifting playlist. In this Comforting Moment episode of You Ain’t Imagining This!, storyteller and empowerment coach Ama-Robin invites you into a sensory sanctuary—where the familiar sounds of a Black cookout become a place of rest, memory, and gentle joy. Comforting Moments are short, grounding episodes designed to offer you space to breathe, reconnect, and feel held amid the chaos. This one brings you to the heart of the cookout—not just as a party, but as a cultural ritual. A space where our joy, presence, and survival come together in rhythm and rest. The episode closes with a Harambee ritual, a Swahili chant meaning Let’s pull together, to remind you that you are never alone in this journey. 🖤 Come as you are. Take what you need. And if someone needs the sound of belonging—send this to them.
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YAIT Story Reunion Trailer
06/08/2025
YAIT Story Reunion Trailer
This isn’t just a story—it’s a homecoming. In this immersive episode from You Ain’t Imagining This!, Black empowerment storyteller Ama-Robin takes you straight to the heart of a Black family reunion. From the sound of folding chairs and the smell of sweet potato pie to bold debates on reparations and land, The Reunion is a vivid, truth-telling experience about what it means to gather, to remember, and to resist through joy. Want to hear the entire meditative story? Click
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The Family Reunion - An Immersive Story of Family and Belonging - YAIT Stories
06/05/2025
The Family Reunion - An Immersive Story of Family and Belonging - YAIT Stories
This isn’t just a story—it’s a homecoming. In this immersive episode from You Ain’t Imagining This!, Black empowerment storyteller Ama-Robin takes you straight to the heart of a Black family reunion. From the sound of folding chairs and the smell of sweet potato pie to bold debates on reparations and land, The Reunion is a vivid, truth-telling experience about what it means to gather, to remember, and to resist through joy. This story will move you. The Beyond the Story segment will ground you. And the sacred reminder at the end? You’re not imagining it—we’re still here. ✨ Listen if you need: — A dose of cultural nourishment — A reminder that Black love is real and revolutionary — A moment to breathe, remember, and feel held Created by and for Black folks navigating a chaotic world, this episode invites you to come as you are, take what you need, and know that you belong here. Subscribe and share with someone who needs the light.
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Not Just Banned — The Erasure of Black Books
05/29/2025
Not Just Banned — The Erasure of Black Books
Black books aren't just being banned—they’re being erased. Quietly. Systemically. From classrooms, libraries, and publishing houses. In this Believe Black People episode, Black empowerment storyteller Ama-Robin breaks down how erasure works—and how we fight back. This isn’t about asking for space. It’s about reclaiming it. Join the Canon of Black Books Challenge and help rewrite the shelves. Subscribe. Share. Build the canon. Because we ain’t imagining this. Ama-Robin's Black Literary Canon Beloved by Toni Morrison Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin Kindred by Octavia Butler The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley The Miseducation of the Negro by Dr. Carter G. Woodson #MyBlackCanon #BlackBookCanon #BlackLiteraryCanon #BuildTheBlackShelf #BlackBooksMatter
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Black Book Joy: The Stories We Love to Love - YAIT Espresso Talks
05/22/2025
Black Book Joy: The Stories We Love to Love - YAIT Espresso Talks
Ever finish a book and think, this one is gonna stay with me? In this bold Espresso Talk episode, storyteller Ama-Robin opens up about the books that shaped her—Roots, The People Could Fly, Parable of the Sower, and others. She shares how Black books gave her more than knowledge—they gave her belonging. And she asks: What are the stories that shaped you? We’ll talk about: ✔️ Why we keep coming back to certain books ✔️ How Black bookstores and banned books affect our sense of purpose and community ✔️ What “Black book joy” really means—and why it matters right now This episode is for anyone who’s ever been changed by a story—and wants to pass that joy on. Featured books & authors: Roots – Alex Haley The People Could Fly – Virginia Hamilton Parable of the Sower – Octavia E. Butler Black Artists in America – Smithsonian American Art Museum Binti – Nnedi Okorafor The Fifth Season – N.K. Jemisin Brown Girl Dreaming – Jacqueline Woodson Try this after listening: 📚 Revisit a book that made you feel seen 🗣️ Ask a friend: What’s a story that shaped you? 🛍️ Visit a Black-owned bookstore—online or in person Connect with Ama-Robin: 📸 Instagram – 📬 Substack – amarobintells You’re not imagining the joy, connection, or power that reading brings you. You're not alone—and your story matters.
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A Page of Peace for You - YAIT Comforting Moments
05/11/2025
A Page of Peace for You - YAIT Comforting Moments
Hey there, friend! I'm so happy you're here. Let’s take a deep breath together and slow down for a minute. I'm Ama-Robin, the storyteller and guide of this YAIT Comforting Moment episode. This is a safe space to breathe, rest your spirit, and remember that your story is sacred. Today, I’m sharing a comforting moment inspired by a note that I found in a vintage book. It’s a sweet reminder that sometimes, a single sentence (or two) can give us exactly what we need. 🌟 So, be where you are and rest in this moment. Imagine holding a page filled with all the peace and power you need for today. This is a reminder that You are enough, just as you are. Be gentle with yourself. You Ain’t Imagining This!
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More than a bookstore - YAIT Stories
05/08/2025
More than a bookstore - YAIT Stories
This isn’t just about books. It’s about belonging! I'm Ama-Robin, your guide on this storytelling journey. In this immersive Village episode of You Ain’t Imagining This!, I will guide y'all inside a Black-owned bookstore—a space where history lives, wisdom flows, and the Black community thrives. Through storytelling, reflection, and real conversation, we will explore how these bookstores are more than stores—they’re classrooms, healing grounds, memory keepers, and hubs of joy. ✨ Feeling seen? Say something! 📚 Got a favorite Black bookstore? Share it! 💬 Let’s talk about the spaces that hold us—and how we can protect and support them. Follow @AmaRobinTells on Instagram so you don’t miss what’s next. Subscribe to You Ain't Imagining This! on Substack to join the community and the conversations!
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