Note from the Author: This episode was recorded in the summer of 2025.  

SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES 

About the Guest: 

Karim Brown is a proud Boricua and longtime Lehigh Valley resident who has navigated the intersection of the Latino and English-speaking communities since 1984. With over 25 years in the educational field, Karim currently serves as a school parent liaison for the Allentown School District, where she bridges connections to ensure every family feels empowered in their journey. Her expertise in restorative practices, family therapy, and trauma-informed care allows her to nurture deep trust, but it’s her commitment to “Framily”—the intentional community she’s built over decades—and her devotion to mindful, heart-centered living that makes her such a grounded guide. Whether she’s leading Title I initiatives or finding joy in nature with her Great Danes, Rose and Scooby, Karim embodies what it means to live with purpose. Together, we explore how to reclaim our breath, resist cultural erasure, and return to the wisdom that has always lived in our bloodlines.   

Connect with Karim: 

* TikTok: @KarimBrown77 

* Instagram: @KarimBrown5513  

References & Inspiration: 

* Brown, K. M. (2020, June 29). Embracing ancestral mindfulness. Shanthi Project. https://www.shanthiproject.org/post/embracing-ancestral-mindfulness  

* Frey, W. H. (2018). The US will become ‘minority white’ in 2045, Census Bureau projects. Brookings Institution. - https://bit.ly/4bZBPgu  

* U.S. Census Bureau. (2020). Projections of the size and composition of the U.S. population: 2020 to 2060 (Report No. P25-1144). U.S. Department of Commerce. -  https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2020/demo/p25-1144.html  

TIMESTAMPS 

00:00 - Intro  

01:23 - Welcome Karim Brown   

03:00 - Culture Shock: Moving from Puerto Rico to rural Pennsylvania, USA   

06:37 - Decolonizing Mindfulness: Shifting perspective from something ‘white’ to something ancestral and cultural   

13:50 - Unlearning Trauma (Resmaa Menakem quote)   

17:16 - What it means to practice healthy selfishness   

19:19 - Mindfulness as a form of resistance against systems that devalue our rest  

25:29 - How colonial systems have distorted our relationship to time  

32:37 - The Puerto Rican flag was once illegal   

34:10 - America is projected to be a Majority POC nation by 2040!  

39:57 - Conscious reconnection to Puerto Rican ancestral wisdom   

45:28 - Outro 

Rooted in Afrocentric thought and Buddhist teachings, this space explores healing through embodiment, spiritual awareness, and the lived experience of Black identity across the diaspora. This episode speaks to collective healing, decolonization, and reconnecting with the body as a source of wisdom.

Through this lens, pleasure becomes a gateway—an opening into self-trust, emotional healing, sexual wellness, and spiritual alignment. This is a return to self, a reconnection to ancestral memory, and a pathway toward Black joy, liberation, and wholeness.

SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES

Join the Inner Circle:

While you can listen on any platform, the heart of this journey lives on Substack. This is my primary home for sharing deeper archives, engaging in community dialogue, and offering resources that aren’t available anywhere else. 👉🏾 Subscribe to the FREE Sacred Koi Podcast Substack at https://sacredkoipodcast.substack.com/welcome

Connect with Me:

* Instagram: @sacredkoipodcast or @acetheyogi

* Website: https://acetheyogi.com

References & Inspiration:

* The Black Joy Project: Founded by Kleaver Cruz - https://kleavercruz.com/the-black-joy-project/

* Lineage: Teachings of the Shangpa Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism -

https://www.kauaidharma.org/

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

00:44 - Why ‘Homecoming’ is the first step

02:02 - Why the name ‘Sacred Koi’?

04:09 - Who Am I?

06:49 - The Compass

08:40 - Reclaiming Joy & Pleasure

13:26 - The Road Ahead