Welcome to the home of the All On The Plate Podcast!!

Ahhhh!
(Trying not to throw up, writing that title... 😫)

Hey, I'm Khadija. I've been an artist as part of a pop/r&b group for the last decade and now I am starting this podcast. 'All On The Plate' is an idea that has brewed in my mind for months and I've slowly been building while trying to work up the courage to just... do it. Start it. Share it. Post it. (*gags*)

The concept of this space is that I would like to create a community in which we can share - let's discuss all the things that are on our minds, happening in our lives, weighing on our hearts. Let's do this openly, lovingly, with care and compassion and grace. Since March of 2020, I know I have been through a huge mental, emotional, spiritual journey. I find myself really needing to connect with others in a way that feels fulfilling and I'm sure if I'm feeling that way, others are as well. So... here we are.

I am not an expert in anything. I don't have extensive training or education or knowledge about any of the things I want to discuss. I just have my lived experiences and a big passion for open, intimate, vulnerable communication. So I hope you'll all trust me to dive into these things together.

I'm sharing on Patreon because I am familiar with this platform and I like the fact that I can share in different formats here. Part of the reason this took so long to start is because I went back and forth about the best way to build this community - "Should it be a blog? A podcast? A discord server? Focus on social media posts? Should I facilitate a peer support group for people to chat in real time?" I'm gonna try it all...? 🤷🏾 We'll see what the community enjoys. But Patreon is a great place for all of these various forms of content.

I will be releasing one (1) podcast episode each week - aiming for Fridays cuz my son goes to his dad's house on Thursdays (that means I have time to edit, create assets, prepare posts, upload, etc.). And then... honestly, whenever the mood strikes, I'll share more. There will be written blogs, vlog-style videos, behind-the-scenes videos of when I do interviews (!), we can do livestreams or discord hangouts. Because this is a space for me to share myself, I'll also include some bonus stuff with my own personal life & interests: life updates, parenting moments, dancing, learning languages (Korean? ASL?), TV shows & movies & music, etc. 

The other reason I hesitated with this, though, was being uncertain about my own commitment level. I am truly burnt out this year, with managing the independent career of my music group and being a single mother... all through a pandemic. The idea of building this community energizes me, but I know that I realistically it might feel like too much sometimes. The concept of Patreon is for people to be able to support and financially compensate creators for the work they do. Most of the work I currently do everyday is unpaid, and I would greatly appreciate anyone who finds value in what they receive from the 'All On The Plate' community to offer a donation. I'm not here for the money (podcast episodes will be available to the public), but I won't say no to receiving support! 

Anyway. This is awkward. That's a topic to discuss on an episode of the podcast ("Why do creatives feel awkward asking for our work to be compensated??"). For now, I'll just say thanks for being here! I'm excited to build and share! We're telling our stories and putting it 'ALL On The Plate.' 

Dive in...!