Turning Pain Into Purpose

This week on Two Mothers, One Ashé, Dionne and Yvette sit with Shamayim “Mama Shu” Harris, founder of Avalon Village, for a conversation that moves far beyond titles and accolades.

After grounding together in breath, Mama Shu opens up about the losses that reshaped her life—her mother, Christine, and her sons, Jakobi Ra and Chinyelu. She shares what it meant to survive the kind of grief that feels unsurvivable… and the moment she realized she was still here.

Together, they explore ancestors, purpose, community, and the radical idea that joy is not a betrayal of the ones we’ve lost. This episode is about finding meaning, building containers for love, and allowing grief to transform—not define—you.

We close, as always, with a moment of Ashé, speaking names aloud and breathing life into memory.

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