Nneka Julia Odum - The First Generation
Nneka Julia Odum - The First Generation
Nneka Julia Odum is a storyteller from Detroit, Michigan. She is a writer, photographer, and host of Passing Through and The Layover podcasts.
Freedom can feel like something we’re all seeking, but may have trouble grasping. What's one piece of advice or some words of wisdom you can offer to this community as they look to "get free"?
I recently read in Marcus Aurelius’s “Meditations” that we have to power to retire within ourselves whenever we wish, “for nowhere can a person retire more full of peace or free from care than into one’s own soul.” Introspection is the soil in which the seeds of freedom are sewn. It’s so vital, especially in our society of constant stimulus, to cultivate stillness so that you can hear yourself, forgive yourself, love yourself, and take safe refuge.
Share an anecdote, memory, or practice in your life that embodies freedom in every way.
Oddly enough, I find freedom in routine. Every day, I outline 3 “mini-habits” on a neon-colored note card that I need to accomplish in order for the day to be “successful.” The 3 things are: write 50 words, walk for 1 minute, and read 2 pages. Every day. It serves as a canvas on which I can cast any color, while still serving as a benchmark for separating activities that are urgent vs. important.
In your podcast, you share revelations and wisdom gained through your diverse experiences, how has the use of storytelling guided your path to freedom?
Jim Rohn often says, “when you only share your successes you build a gulf, but when you share your struggles you build a bridge.” Storytelling has forced me to forgive parts of myself I often buried. It’s impelled me to come face to face with very personal experiences of duality and complexity. We’ve all had moments of cowardice and bravery, love and hate, jealousy and admiration. By sharing my stories, I’ve found freedom in understanding from all of the wonderful people who’ve listened, but most importantly, from myself.
How has travel impacted your relationship to Self?
Travel has shown me time and time again that it can never serve as an escape from yourself. You take whoever you are, wherever you go. In times of great sorrow, I've brought ruin to ruins. In times of joy, I've brought warmth to the sun. Travel has forced me to do the work, internally, in order to enjoy my adventures both around the corner and around the world.
What is one song that helps you get free?
What is one book that has helped you claim your freedom?
The Parable of the Sower / The Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler.