What does it mean to care for others without disappearing yourself? In this grounding, yet spacious conversation, Ashley is joined by yoga teachers and bodyworkers Rachelle Pierre and Cassandre “Cass” Titus. Together they explore the rituals that sustain caretakers, how the body quietly tells the truth before burnout screams, what it’s like to be Black women in Boston’s wellness spaces, and why movement and touch have become their home.

If you’ve ever felt guilty for needing rest, struggled to say a full-sentence “no,” or sensed your nervous system fraying at the edges, this episode is a gentle permission slip to come back to yourself.

Key themes: nervous system regulation, the wisdom of the body, finding your people, astrology and yoga, frequency music, creating soft spaces, the importance of touch post-pandemic

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Cassandre Titus is a Licensed Practical Nurse, yoga teacher, and Thai bodywork practitioner whose work centers around nervous system care, restorative movement, and community wellness. Drawing from 12 years in healthcare and her experience in teaching yin, restorative, and vinyasa, she helps students and clients embody grounded presence through movement, breath, sound, and mindful touch. Cassandre offers weekly classes, monthly bodywork sessions, seasonally inspired workshops, and emerging virtual resources that support holistic self-care and sustainable well-being.

You can connect with her on Instagram at @cassandre.titus, where she shares gentle practices, reflections, and upcoming offerings designed to help you slow down, soften, and reconnect.

Rachelle Pierre is a hot power yoga teacher, Thai bodyworker, and educator who trains others in intuitive, supportive assisting in the yoga classroom. Rooted in movement as a pathway to clarity, connection, and presence, her work centers on helping students feel grounded, strong, and deeply attuned to their bodies. Through athletic flow and mindful breath, Rachelle creates classes that invite students to meet challenges with curiosity and show up exactly as they are. She weaves together intentional sequencing, embodied awareness, and the potency of mindful touch to support connection, empowerment, and awakening in places where words alone cannot reach.

You can connect with Rachelle through her Linktree, where she shares her weekly teaching schedule and upcoming offerings for deeper practice and embodied exploration.

Further Forward: Honest Conversations on the Art of Becoming, is hosted by Ashley Mitchell.

📩 Subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, Mind & Motion: https://blackgirlmagicmama.substack.com/

🎙️ Follow for new episodes + bts footage: https://www.instagram.com/furtherforwardpod?igsh=MWJuaDFiMjlzcjJ1dw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

🌱 Support this work and share it with a friend who’s ready to move further forward.

In this intimate, thoughtful conversation, Ashley sits down with writer and actor Genevieve “Gwen” Kingston to explore what it really means to stay open — to life, to love, to friendship, to creativity — even when fear, grief, or old versions of ourselves try to close us off.

Gwen shares the evolving shape of her identity in adulthood, how writing her memoir changed her relationship to purpose and risk, why softness is a form of strength, and the unexpected ways friendships can hold us through the most difficult seasons.

Together, Ashley and Gwen reflect on becoming, self-awareness, community, grief as a backdrop rather than a headline, and the unglamorous daily courage of simply showing up.

This is a slow, deep, grounding episode about being human, being honest, and choosing openness even when it’s uncomfortable.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The role of female friendships in holding us through grief, change, and adulthood
• What writing a memoir taught Gwen about purpose, timing, and surrender
• How to keep becoming your truest self in your 30s and beyond
• Creativity, fear, and the discipline of sitting down to write
• The quiet bravery required to stay open to love, community, and possibility

Connect with Gwen:

• Gwen’s book: Did I Ever Tell You?
• NYT Modern Love essay: “She Put Her Unspent Love in a Cardboard Box”
• Gwen on Instagram

Books/authors mentioned:

• Educated by Tara Westover (audiobook read by Julia Whelan)
• Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
• Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett
• In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
• Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur
• Collective Illusions by Todd Rose
• Sidle Creek by Jolene McIlwain

Misc:

• Botanical Brothers (NYC flower subscription Gwen sends to herself)

Genevieve (Gwen) Kingston is an actor, playwright, and author based in Brooklyn, New York. She holds an MFA in Acting from Brown University and BAs in Theater and Linguistics from UC Berkeley. Her viral essay “She Put Her Unspent Love in a Cardboard Box” appeared in the New York Times Modern Love column in 2021, and her 2024 memoir, Did I Ever Tell You?, was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and is currently being translated into 16 languages worldwide.

Further Forward: Honest Conversations on the Art of Becoming, is hosted by Ashley Mitchell.

📩 Subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, Mind & Motion: https://blackgirlmagicmama.substack.com/

🎙️ Follow for new episodes + bts footage: https://www.instagram.com/furtherforwardpod?igsh=MWJuaDFiMjlzcjJ1dw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

🌱 Support this work and share it with a friend who’s ready to move further forward.

In today’s work culture, visibility and value are everything- but the systems that decide who gets noticed are deeply flawed.

Executive recruiter, coach, and founder Meghan Houle joins Ashley to discuss confidence without ego, imposter syndrome, and the mindset shifts that help you transition from overlooked to in-demand. Meghan shares her personal journey of overcoming early challenges, embracing self-awareness, and learning to take bold, intentional action in her career.

They dive into the realities of today’s job market- from 9-round interviews and AI screening to the art of authentic networking and personal investment. Meghan also introduces her innovative platform CONCÉ, designed to revolutionize and humanize the recruiting and hiring process, and build a supportive professional community that helps people get seen and get paid.

In this episode:

• Why great candidates get overlooked (and how to fix it)
• How to pitch yourself with quiet conviction
• The truth about recruiters, referrals, and multi-round interviews
• Creating a “personal P&L” and investing in yourself
• Imposter syndrome and the power of self-awareness
• Building community and finding mentors who open doors
• Taking bold action and rewriting limiting beliefs
• Introducing CONCÉ and the realities of building a start-up

Meghan Houle is a globally recognized hiring expert, accredited Career & Business Coach, and newly minted tech founder of CEO of CONCÉ (pronounced Con-SEE) a next-generation concierge-style hiring platform revolutionizing the talent space.

As the “go-to” agency recruiter for CEOs, founders, and visionary business owners, Meghan helps build high-performing teams designed for long-term success and has been celebrated for a multi-decade career marked by over a thousand successful placements.

Meghan has built her reputation through high-touch partnerships with luxury and specialty retail brands across North America.

Her clients include global leaders such as LVMH, Veronica Beard, Victoria Beckham and Christian Louboutin (to name a few)

Positioned as the future of hiring, CONCÉ is an all-in-one solution helping businesses manage every step of the recruitment journey from job description to job offer while introducing the industry's first soft-skills-driven job matchmaking experience within a privately vetted, professional community. Think: RAYA for jobs.

Today, with CONCÉ (beta launching late 2025), Meghan is reimagining recruitment curating a premium private career community with a deeply personalized experience leaning into her signature brand ethos; authenticity, intentional matchmaking, and concierge-level service which will continue to guide her mission: making every career move both empowering and purposeful for both businesses and job seekers alike.

Schedule a hiring strategy session with Meghan: https://calendly.com/mhm-career-concierge/30min

Connect on Instagram:

Meghan Houle https://www.instagram.com/allthingsmeghoule/

Follow CONCÉ https://www.instagram.com/hirewithconce/

Get your business on the CONCÉ waitlist https://hirewithconce.com/waitlist/business

Further Forward: Honest Conversations on the Art of Becoming, is hosted by Ashley Mitchell.

📩 Subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, Mind & Motion: https://blackgirlmagicmama.substack.com/

🎙️ Follow for new episodes + bts footage: https://www.instagram.com/furtherforwardpod?igsh=MWJuaDFiMjlzcjJ1dw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

🌱 Support this work and share it with a friend who’s ready to move further forward.