Authentic Thriving Podcast

Abies Sonia

Authentic Thriving Podcast is a trauma-informed mental health and personal development podcast hosted by Abies Sonia Ebenezer-Bamigbayan, a BACP-registered counsellor, life coach, and positive psychology practitioner. This podcast supports individuals navigating trauma, burnout, emotional suppression, people-pleasing, faith-related emotional wounds, and identity loss,  particularly within African and Black diaspora communities. Each episode blends psychoeducation, cultural insight, reflective dialogue, and practical emotional tools to help listeners heal, reclaim self-worth, set healthy boundaries, and move toward inner harmony. 🎧 Important note: This podcast is educational and reflective and does not replace therapy

  1. 15H AGO

    Delayed, Not Denied: Trusting God's Process

    What if the delay you fear is the very process that shapes your breakthrough? We sit down with Inibeghe Ebong to trace her path from newlywed expectations to a years-long wait for conception, across countries and a pandemic, and into a testimony that arrived before the fertility clinic could call her name. This is a grounded, hope-filled exploration of faith, medicine, discernment, and the quiet work of staying ready. We start with a small sign a baby bath gift that arrived late and the way simple moments can carry spiritual meaning we only understand in hindsight. From there, Ini opens her medical journey: costly tests at home, relocating to the UK, restarting referrals, and seeing COVID turn fertility into a non-urgent case. Rather than choosing between prayer and medicine, she shows how to hold both: get informed, ask the right questions, and keep listening for God’s voice. The delays weren’t romantic; they were exhausting. Yet they also clarified a calling to intercession, a commitment to guard the heart from offence and envy, and a posture of active waiting. We dig into the habits that sustain hope: serving like a true “waiter,” staying present in worship, studying scripture, and giving genuinely time, service, and resources without performance or bargaining. Ini shares how generosity reframed her perspective and taught her to celebrate others’ milestones without shrinking her own faith. The turning point lands quietly: after shelving monthly tests to protect their peace, a leftover kit during a house move showed positive then another, and another before the specialist appointment ever arrived. If you’re navigating infertility, medical uncertainty, or any long road of delay, you’ll find practical steps and spiritual anchors here: discern the cause, pursue wise care, pray with clarity, keep serving, and schedule real rest. Hope isn’t passive; it’s a rhythm. Subscribe, share with someone who needs courage today, and leave a review to help others find this story of purpose in the waiting. Send a text Support the show Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/abiessonia Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm8aAtpN2BN/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

    58 min
  2. JAN 17

    Faith In Action

    What if the season you’re trying hardest to escape is the place where your character is forged and your joy deepens? Today we share a lived‑in story of practical faith: long visa delays that split a new marriage across continents, a miscarriage and a high‑risk pregnancy that ended with a healthy baby, a six‑year immigration battle that reshaped community, and a cancer diagnosis that closed with the words “cancer free.” None of it felt tidy. All of it became a classroom for service, scripture, and stubborn hope. We talk about moving to a small church in Newcastle and asking the simplest question,how can we help? then finding purpose in driving a bus, cooking for students, and showing up first and leaving last. Scarcity met unexpected provision: a neighbour at the door with a new microwave the day ours died, diapers stacked to the ceiling from grateful friends, and an envelope at Christmas that shifted us from anxiety to generosity. Along the way, three separate confirmations promised “you will laugh,” and that promise landed in a reunited home and a child whose test results defied fear. We unpack the difference between a good offer and a godly one, how to “faith not fear” when the wait drags on, and why serving keeps bitterness from taking root. There’s more: education doors once shut swung open, a master’s in social work arrived without the price tag, and career steps came faster than expected. Secondary infertility fears met healing, and the cancer chapter became another marker of God’s presence through community and scripture. If you’re navigating immigration uncertainty, health scares, or the ache of delay, you’ll find practical handles here one verse to hold, one person to tell, one simple act of service to start today. If this story lifted you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review with the line you’re taking into your week. Your words might be the confirmation someone else is waiting to hear. Send us a text Support the show Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/abiessonia Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm8aAtpN2BN/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

    1h 6m
  3. JAN 3

    Space Is A Mirror: What You Allow Shapes Who You Become

    What if the quality of your life is simply the story your space is telling back to you? Today we pull apart the idea of “space” across four domains physical, mental, spiritual, and relational and show how small, deliberate shifts create outsized results in mood, clarity, and connection. We start with the tangible: how clutter quietly drains energy, steals focus, and makes even simple tasks feel uphill. You’ll hear why treating empty areas as intentional breathing room not gaps to fill can lower stress fast. Then we move inward to mental and emotional space, where conversations linger and interpretations set the tone for the day. We unpack how to identify energy “zappers,” why introverts and extroverts must manage their environments differently, and the practical art of reframing triggers so they stop replaying on loop. From there, we widen the lens to spiritual space. No grand rituals needed just consistent, ordinary moments of prayer, worship, and gratitude that invite perspective and calm into a crowded schedule. We talk about trading hustle-only thinking for quiet insight, and why creating time for God steadies your decisions when life gets loud. Finally, we confront the myth of transactional relationships. Real connection grows when you make unhurried room for the people who love you for you, partners, children, siblings, and friends. You’ll learn simple ways to stop making loved ones feel invisible and build rituals that last long after the busy seasons end. By the end, you’ll have a clear framework to edit your surroundings, curate your inputs, deepen your faith, and choose connection over convenience. If this conversation sparks a shift, share it with someone who needs lighter rooms, clearer thoughts, and warmer ties. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: which space will you change first? Send us a text Support the show Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/abiessonia Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm8aAtpN2BN/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

    27 min
  4. 12/20/2025

    Stop Competing, Start Collaborating

    What if the story you were told about success, beat the class, top the target, outshine the room, has been holding you back from the very growth you want? We pull back the curtain on how competition sneaks into classrooms, living rooms, and boardrooms, shaping self‑worth and turning partners into opponents. From childhood rankings and repeat years to family dynamics that tie respect to money, we examine the hidden scripts that breed envy, isolation, and burnout. Along the way, we share candid examples that show a better way. You’ll hear how two “competing” shops pooled supplier orders to cut costs and boost negotiating power without undercutting each other. We unpack collaborative property strategies used by tight‑knit communities to become homeowners faster, and why similar models stall when ego trumps trust. We explore learning styles, the harm of public comparison, and what happens when workplaces reward solo wins over shared outcomes. We also tackle competition inside faith communities and even within marriages, where control and status quietly replace respect and partnership. This conversation doesn’t stop at critique; it maps out a practical shift. We outline clear terms for fair collaboration, credit‑sharing, and transparent promotion so no one is sidelined. We champion team‑based learning as practiced in British schools, and we call for families to honour dignity beyond wealth or marital status. If you’ve felt drained by rivalry and ready to trade scarcity for synergy, you’ll leave with grounded steps to celebrate others, protect your energy, and build something bigger together. If this resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who needs a nudge toward collaboration, and leave a review telling us one partnership you’ll start this month. Send us a text Support the show Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/abiessonia Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm8aAtpN2BN/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

    38 min
  5. 11/29/2025

    From Low Light To Lively Days: Practical Ways To Beat Winter Blues

    The shorter days arrive, the duvet clings a little tighter, and motivation slips. We’re tackling winter blues head‑on with a soulful, practical guide to keeping your energy bright, your routines steady, and your home full of warmth. I start by drawing a clear line between everyday winter dips and Seasonal Affective Disorder, sharing the red flags that call for a GP visit and why a diagnosis can be a relief, not a label. From there we move into the body: why heat escapes through the head, neck, hands, face, and feet, and how smart layering makes a bigger difference than you think. You’ll get a no‑fuss approach to seasonal eating, steaming soups, gentle spices, colourful vegetables, porridge, and vitamin‑rich choices like salmon, eggs, greens, and sweet potato. We talk vitamin D and iron checks, herbal teas that soothe, and simple recipes that turn your kitchen into a cosy refuge without hours of prep. Your space matters too. Learn easy ways to bring “sun” indoors with warm‑white lighting, music that lifts the room in seconds, bright textiles, and scents that clear the air and calm the nerves. We add movement that anyone can do: 10‑minute walks, indoor walking videos, Zumba in the living room, light boxing, and stretchy resets that release endorphins and beat inertia. To steady the mind, I share journaling prompts, gratitude rituals, paced breathing, crafts like crochet, and small family traditions film nights, board games, disco lights that turn dark evenings into connection. If the daylight is dim, choose to be the sun in your own life through colour, sound, warmth, and kind routines that add up. Listen now, try one change today, and tell me which habit you’ll start with. If this helped, subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find their light this season. Send us a text Support the show Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/abiessonia Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm8aAtpN2BN/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

    35 min

About

Authentic Thriving Podcast is a trauma-informed mental health and personal development podcast hosted by Abies Sonia Ebenezer-Bamigbayan, a BACP-registered counsellor, life coach, and positive psychology practitioner. This podcast supports individuals navigating trauma, burnout, emotional suppression, people-pleasing, faith-related emotional wounds, and identity loss,  particularly within African and Black diaspora communities. Each episode blends psychoeducation, cultural insight, reflective dialogue, and practical emotional tools to help listeners heal, reclaim self-worth, set healthy boundaries, and move toward inner harmony. 🎧 Important note: This podcast is educational and reflective and does not replace therapy