Author: Ananda Leeke

My soul sistalove Abiola’s Substack post reminded me this morning that yesterday (September 25, 1952) was the heavenly born day of ancestor bell hooks (Gloria Jean Watkins). bell is one of my Thriving Mindfully sheroes whose spirit, wisdom, and literary work has guided me since I discovered her books during my first Saturn Return in the early 1990s. bell’s Ain’t I A Woman Bell Hooks Black Women Feminism and Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery are the two books that helped me understand, define, care for, love, and value myself as I navigated my turbulent 20s and stepped into my calling as an artist, writer, healer, and community builder.

In my 30s and 40s, bell’s Salvation, All About Love, Communion, Remembered Rapture, Bone Black, Feminism Is for Everybody, Art on My Mind, The Will to Change, We Real Cool, A Woman’s Mourning Song, and Rock My Soul anchored and guided me as a creative, and inspired me to write my debut novel, Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One, and a first memoir, That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetical Memoir of Self-Discovery.

Earlier this month, I returned to bell’s beautiful poetry published in her book, When Angels Speak of Love. Her words brought me back to a sweet joy I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was the sweet joy of reading kindred soul’s emotions on paper that breathed life into my own words and reminded me how important it is to continue answering the calling on my life and legacy as a creative.

Below are several quotes featuring some of bell’s most meaningful wisdom that I have cherished.

What are your favorite bell hooks’ books and wisdom?

How did bell impact your life?

The Harvest Full Moon in Aries energy in the early morning hours led me back to my creative sanctuary where the labor pains of giving birth to a second novel about Karma Francois Allure, a 60-something year old African American woman simultaneously grieving her past as a wife and daughter in DC, living her present as a guest professor at her alma mater, Morgan State University and museum curator at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in Baltimore, and dreaming of her future in Bahia, Brazil, reside.

Oh how I love a long sentence with lots of description running wild on my paper and screen.

I know my book editor will probably chop it up in smaller bites before it’s over.

No matter what happens at least I can say I breathed life into the seeds that formed the sentences that have my creative heart jumping for joy in this beautiful moment.

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In case inquiring minds want to know more about Karma Francois Allure in her 30s, check out my debut novel, Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One (2007).

On September 19th, the Reginald E. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture hosted a family history fireside chat between me and my dad, Dr. John F. Leeke. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing the diversity of our ancestors and their Underground Railroad journey that are featured in our book, American Change Agent: A Life & Legacy of Seeking Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. We also loved discussing my dad’s career, the impact of his work, and some of the key lessons he has learned.

It was great to engage with and listen to the stories of community members and museum staff and volunteers.

Special thanks to Terry Taylor-Nock, Education Programs Manager at the Lewis Museum, and her team for making the event a success!

Many thanks to everyone who attended the event!

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If you are in or travel to Baltimore, make sure you check out the Lewis Museum’s current exhibition, “THE LINES WE CROSS: 250 Years of Maryland Forging America” (closes next year on October 31, 2027) that traces how Black Marylanders have pushed boundaries, broken systems, and shaped the social, cultural, and political landscape of America.

Finding and documenting JOY in my daily life is one of my self-care practices that helps me embrace, embody, and express Thriving Mindfully.

In August, I started taking slow and mindful walks that offered space to notice and appreciate the color of doors on houses and buildings located on side streets in my U Street neighborhood. My eyes were amazed!

Check out the photos below. Which door is your favorite and why?

I imagined the inspiration that guided each person to choose their door color. I even made up some stories about the people using the colors of the chakra energy system as inspiration. For example, I imagined there is a 60 something African American woman writer (like me!) living in the house with the yellow door who is working on her next memoir and second novel. She’s been experiencing creative blocks all summer. I think she decides to sit on her porch with her cup of green tea, floral journal, and pen in the early mornings with her back resting against the yellow door. On many days she just sits, breathes in and out, and slowly sips her tea. No writing. Just being. And then one day that comes close to the end of the month, she is inspired to write. Another day of writing occurs. Then a week of journaling brings her into a new month called September. She continues to write in her journal and starts to explore why she is blocked. At the end of her journal entry, she thanks her yellow door for supporting her back as she writes. She tells the door that its yellow color has been a reminder to tap into her third chakra energy of persistence and determination as she moves through her creative blocks.

MORE ON THRIVING MINDFULLY

Learn more about my heart-centered approach to being present, well, and the REAL ME by listening to my spoken word song, “Thriving Mindfully Theme” that is featured on my debut spoken word album, Thriving Mindfully As Theresa’s Daughter. Garnet Jay, my BFF Soul Brothalove, music producer, and founder of Footprint Productions, composed the music for the song.

This morning, I started thinking about who I am in the CURRENT moment while attending my favorite monthly Creative Mornings DC gathering at the Goethe Institute. This month’s global theme is CURRENT. That word evokes the “flow and glow of water.” It also reminds me of our birthright of mindfulness, the ability to be aware of what’s happening inside and outside of us in the present moment.

During this morning’s gathering, I pressed paused on my exploration of who am I in the CURRENT moment so I could take in the insights of three community member speakers, Alex Smider, Alisa Tang, and Morgan Davis. I enjoyed each of their talks because they reminded me of how courageous, inspiring, and powerful it is to stand before others and share parts of yourself and creativity. What gifts they gave us! Thank you Alex, Alisa, and Morgan!

After the gathering, I stopped by Brew on U to get a matcha with coconut milk (today’s treat). While walking home and sipping my matcha, I resumed my inner conversation about who I am in the CURRENT moment. I started with a revised two-part question.

QUESTION: Who am I in this CURRENT moment and what is my “flow and glow”?

PART 1 OF MY ANSWER: I am a human BE-ING born and bred to be a creative with a multi-passionate heart that guides my embodiment, energy, existence, expression, and evolution as a multidiscplinary artist, author, mindfulness professional, and community builder. What a mouthful! It definitely doesn’t camouflage my love of long sentences!

PART 2 OF MY ANSWER: My “flow and glow” refers to how I choose to show up and move through my daily life. It finds its rhythm in my spoken word song, “Flow and Glow” that appears on my Thriving Mindfully As Theresa’s Daughter album. It is best explained by a CURRENT acronym I received as a divine download that turned into soul medicine earlier this week.

C: Slow down and be intentional about my daily CHOICES and how they support my ability to be present, well, and the real me

U: UNAPOLOGETICALLY,

R: ROOTED in my values, and

R: RESILIENT due to my heart-centered commitments that nurture my

E: ENERGY and

N: NERVOUS system.

T: I call it THRIVING mindfully!

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MY INVITATION TO YOU: Slow down and explore who you are in the CURRENT moment. What is your “flow and glow”?

Please share your insights with me in the comment section of this post or via email – ananda@anandaleeke.com.

Need some inspiration to “flow and glow”? Listen to my spoken word song, “Flow and Glow.” The music was composed by Garnet Jay, my BFF soul brothalove, music producer, and founder of Footprint Productions.

News Talk 107.3 FM Correspondent Rich Roche, and Tri-State Alert, wrote a great article entitled “Hagerstown Roots: Fuels Author’s Mission to Honor Ancestors” about my Leek/Leeke family’s Underground Railroad journey and the book, American Change Agent: A Life & Legacy of Seeking Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion that my dad, Dr. John F. Leeke and I wrote. Click the button to read it.

I am having a FANTASTIC time serving as the U Street Neighborhood Association’s Artist-in-Residence. I led third Thriving Mindfully on U Street workshop entitled “The Future of the U Street Community” on September 16th at the historic True Reformer Building in DC.

We started the workshop with a sound healing meditation before exploring and sharing our definition of community and what the U Street community gives us.

While listening to smooth jazz, we used mindful creativity exercises to illustrate our vision for the U Street community in the coming years. Before we ended the workshop, we shared our visions and participated in a gratitude circle that included a land acknowledgment and a Thriving Mindfully reflection.

Sign up here to join me on October 7th for the final session.

It’s Healthy Aging Month, a time to remember that we are all aging and have a choice in how we approach it. I choose to embrace Thriving Mindfully as I AGE. Today that means I ACCEPT GRACE EVERY day at the ✨️ sparkling and sensational age of 61!!!!

How are you choosing to AGE? What healthy aging practices are you using?

Tennis is one of my healthy aging fitness practices. I started learning to play tennis with the support of a Howard student who played on the tennis team in October 2021. She gave me a few lessons.

In the Spring and Summer of 2022, she and a Hampton student gave me several lessons that prepared me for the DC Department of Parks and Recreation’s (DPR) tennis program. I continued to take DC DPR classes, work with a private coach, and play tennis with classmates and neighbors until I transitioned to classes at JTCC in College Park in November 2025. I also took some classes at the Rock Creek Tennis Center.

Since then, I have learned to maintain a beginner’s mind + open heart filled with a willingness to learn and make mistakes, appreciate and celebrate myself for showing up, play and have fun, strengthen my body with exercises that support my body, add more home practices, watch and enjoy tennis matches, meet new tennis friends of all ages, participate in tennis outings, adjust my expectations about my progress, release my self-criticism and the pressure I put on myself to overachieve, and practice patience with grace.

Photo: Morning subway ride to my tennis class at JTCC

The City of Hagerstown, Maryland presented my dad, Dr. John F. Leeke and I with a proclamation honoring our Leek/Leeke family’s Underground Railroad journey, courage and vision to seek freedom, and successful escape from slavery on September 15th.

We discuss our family’s Underground Railroad journey from Hagerstown to Amherstburg, Canada, in our book, American Change Agent: A Life & Legacy of Seeking Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion.

Many thanks to Hagerstown Mayor Bill McIntire, Councilmembers, and the City Administrator staff for helping us honor our family during International Underground Railroad Month. We appreciate Councilmember Caroline Anderson for presenting us with the proclamation. Special thanks to Hagerstown Councilmember Tiara Burnett for introducing us to the Mayor and City Council, supporting our book and proclamation request, and helping to make this day possible!

Watch the proclamation presentation below (start at the 16.41 minute mark).