Life in Black & White

14/08/2024

Two of my most favourite pics of our family. ❤️ But now that I have you here… Yesterday, we released a new - a little different - podcast episode, that we hope to make you smile and inspire you. I’m not going to say more 🤫, only than it’s worth listening. 🙂 The link is in the comments. 😉 xx

13/08/2024

Life doesn’t always unfold the way we want it to or plan for it to. And that’s okay! Not only is it okay—it’s actually a great thing. In today’s episode, which is a little different (you’ll understand why once you start listening), we explain the power of going with the flow and why it i...

30/07/2024

Just found this old pic of Yaw and couldn’t not share it 😀😎🙌. What hairstyle do you think suits him better? Long or short? Xx

24/07/2024

I have recently shared my thoughts and feelings of being a white mum raising mixed race children for . A massive thank you to Marina Gask for sharing my story!! It wasn’t easy to talk about some of my deepest fears, but i know it’s necessary in order to break the stigma. Thank you! ❤️

As a white mum of three mixed-race sons, Ivana Poku has already seen them encounter casual racism, now she fears for their future.

24/07/2024

I recently shared my thoughts and feelings of being a white mum raising mixed race children for . A massive thank you to Marina Gask for sharing my story!! It wasn’t easy to talk about some of my deepest fears, but i know it’s necessary in order to break the stigma. Thank you! ❤️

To read the article, Copy this link in the browser:

https://uk.style.yahoo.com/racism-mixed-race-sons-scares-me-092146021.html

10/07/2024

Our twins are currently in Slovakia with their grandma so we only have one child and an actual time and energy to watch TV past 8pm 😂 come on England! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🥳😎🙌

25/06/2024

Hello, friends! Today, we are joined by Lewis Harrower, an audio producer and the founder of Time Capsule Productions, an audio production company specialising in creating Audio Time Capsules. These capsules are personalised documentaries that record people's life stories, preserving their memories....

11/06/2024

Hello, friends! Have you ever wondered how why some people struggle throughout their whole lives while others seem to magically attract anything they want, and more? In today's episode, we are talking to Maryanne Jacons, the queen of manifesting. She doesn’t 'just' practice manifesting for a livin...

22/05/2024

New episode is now out! 😍 This time, we are talking to our 8-year old twin boys, asking them about their views and some life advice. 😎😋 Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one! 😉 link in the comments xx

21/05/2024

Get ready to double the fun with our beloved guests, Henry and Mason—our delightful twin boys are back! If you missed their debut, don't worry, you can catch up later (and we highly recommend it!). Today, we're diving into the wonderful world of childhood wisdom and asking some fun as well as thou...

07/05/2024

Today, we are excited to have Adeyemi Oke, author of 'I don't mean to sound racist, but...' on the show. Following the 2018 Premier League football race storm, there was a rhetoric that racism had ended in the eighties, and was now ‘rearing its ugly head’. After having many conversations in focu...

30/04/2024

Surreal! 😳

Henry and Mason are 8 years old! (Or infinity years old as Henry said ;))

8 years since our lives changed forever. 8 years of the most challenging and most amazing times we’ve ever experienced.

When I struggled with postnatal depression (which i talk about more in our latest episode on mental health), it was this LOVE that has helped me keep going.

Even then, underneath the thick layers of emotional struggle, the love was there. All along. Patiently waiting to be fully unleashed and fill up every fibre of my body and my heart.

I know that it may seem that I gave life to you, boys, but it’s actually the other way around - you gave life to me.

And for that (and for many many more things) I’ll be forever grateful to you boys. Love goes to infinity and beyond.

We love more than words can describe. Always have and always will. Xx

29/04/2024

Don’t get me wrong.

I LOVE running a podcast with Yaw. But it can be pretty challenging at times! 😀😇 Like the other day when he annoyed me just 5 minutes when we were set off to record an episode. 😂😂 (you can hear it in my voice as I make the introduction ; it’s the latest episode on mental health if you want to see what I mean 😂)

And as you can hear from Yaw’s voice, the annoyance goes both ways. 😀😇

So basically, we can’t argue on that day of recording. Which can be hard, because, you know … you don’t really plan your arguments, right? 😂

Now, in terms of the positives… what I love the most is the thrill and excitement of creating something together. 🥰 (I can almost hear Yaw saying - You know we have three children, right? 😂)

But seriously, it’s great!! It allows us to get even closer together and explore new things as a couple as well as individuals. ❤️

What about You?

Can you imagine running a podcast (or any business) with your spouse? Let me know below! 👇🥰 xx

Love, Ivana xx

24/04/2024

Celebrating this huge milestone!

Thank you for al your love and support, you’re the best! 😍🥰❤️

PS. A new episode on mental health is now out! Xx

23/04/2024

In today's episode, get ready for some open and honest conversations about mental health. We're peeling back the layers to explore what mental health truly means, why it's often shrouded in stigma, and how we can start breaking down those barriers. Plus, we're sharing personal stories that'll tug at...

21/04/2024

Hey lovely people! 🙂

Tonight we are recording an episode on mental health and would love to hear your views and experiences!

There’s so much stigma surrounding mental wellbeing and we are committed to doing our part to help breaking it by openly talking about it ❤️

Personally, I (Ivana) had severe postnatal depression after having the twins in 2016 . It was the worst experience of my life, and I’ll share more about this experience in this episode.

Do you / did you too struggle with mental health? Do you have strong views on this topic?

Let us know below or send us a DM.

Thanks so much!

I&Y xx

17/04/2024

A new episode is now out! 😍

This time, we’re joined by Sarah Wood, a mother of three children, two of whom are of mixed race. ❤️

In this episode, Sarah generously shares her invaluable insights and personal experiences of navigating the complexities of raising children who belong to a different racial background than her own.

Prepare to be enlightened and inspired by her perspective—this episode promises to be eye-opening on multiple levels, so be sure not to miss it! 😉

Link is in the comments 😉 xx

Love, Ivana & Yaw

17/04/2024

In our latest episode, we’re joined by Sarah Wood, a mother of three children, two of whom are of mixed race. ❤️

In this episode, Sarah generously shares her invaluable insights and personal experiences of navigating the complexities of raising children who belong to a different racial background than her own.

Prepare to be enlightened and inspired by her perspective—this episode promises to be eye-opening on multiple levels, so be sure not to miss it! 😉

Link in the bio xx

15/04/2024

Today, we're joined by Sarah Wood, a mother of three children, two of whom are of mixed race. In this episode, Sarah generously shares her invaluable insights and personal experiences of navigating the complexities of raising children who belong to a different racial background than her own. Prepare...

11/04/2024

Our first feature in the inews! 😍🥰

Thanks so much to MaryLou Costa, it’s been an absolute DELIGHT working with you. ❤️

Enjoy the reading!

(Link in the comments xx)

Love, Ivana xx

04/04/2024

People often ask - What is it like to have twins? The short answer is: Colourful. : And the long answer we share in this episode. We talk about the behind-the-scenes reality of having twins, an experience that's much more than 'double trouble'. The conversation goes beyond the typical cliches associ...

03/04/2024

What it's like to have twins?

A new episode is now out! 😍

Link in the comments.

Love, Ivana & Yaw xx

04/03/2024

One of our fave pics when we still had energy to spare! 😃😜Wishing you all a vibrant week filled with positivity and boundless energy! ❤️😘
❤ 💯

01/03/2024

The notion of “I don’t care about people’s skin colour” sounds inclusive and fair, right? While the intention may be noble, the approach of colorblindness often misses the mark and can even perpetuate inequalities.

Here’s why: When we claim to be “colourblind,” we unintentionally dismiss the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities that different races bring to the table.

It’s like saying, “I don’t see color,” but in reality, our world is beautifully colorful, and that diversity should be celebrated, not ignored.

By saying we don’t care about someone’s skin colour, we also disregard the systemic injustices and inequalities that people of different races face every day. It’s like brushing aside centuries of history, culture, and identity that shape individuals and communities.

Instead of striving for colorblindness, let’s embrace color-consciousness... Let’s acknowledge and appreciate the unique experiences and perspectives that come with different racial backgrounds. ❤️

Now, being color-conscious doesn’t mean treating people differently based on their race; it means recognising and respecting the diversity that enriches our world. ❤️ It’s about creating a society where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued for who they are. ❤️

01/02/2024

People often ask what it’s like to be with someone who doesn’t speak the same language as you.

Honestly, when you find your person, you don’t really care about the language. You get each other no matter what.

You can be with someone with the first same language but if you are not on the same wavelength, it feels like you both speak different languages. (I’m sure we all have this experience 😃)

Sure, sometimes I’m sorry that Yaw can’t get my cultural references. Sometimes it annoys me when I can't find the right words when I’m
stressed, tired or in a rush.

But in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter? 🤷‍♀️

The differences have actually become a unique part of our relationship.

We created our own language 🙂 and our own jokes lol.

So I’d say that although it can be impractical at times? it is definitively FUN having a husband who doesn’t speak my language. 😀

(Added bonus is that we can talk about him with the kids without him understanding. 🤫😂😜)

01/02/2024

People often ask what it’s like to be with someone who doesn’t speak the same language as you.

Honestly, when you find your person, you don’t really care about the language. You get each other no matter what.

You can be with someone with the first same language but if you are not on the same wavelength, it feels like you both speak different languages. (I’m sure we all have this experience 😃)

Sure, sometimes I’m sorry that Yaw can’t get my cultural references. Sometimes it annoys me when I can’t find the right words when I’m
stressed, tired or in a rush.

But in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter? 🤷‍♀️

The differences have actually become a unique part of our relationship.

We created our own language :) and our own jokes lol.

So I’d say that although it can be impractical at times? it is definitively FUN having a husband who doesn’t speak my language. 😀

(Added bonus is that we can talk about him with the kids without him understanding. 🤫😂😜)

26/01/2024

I gotta tell you - Yaw and I enjoy recording episodes for our podcast more and more! 😀🤩

The last one for example, we shared our tips on sharing chores...not particularly a funny subject lol but we ended up having SO MUCH laughter! 😂😂😂

So the episode ended up being both helpful and funny!
(Honestly if you haven’t listened to it, please DO 😀 you’ll have a great time with us! 😀)

Honestly, making our episodes more funny makes us feel like fish in the water...so we think we’ll keep infusing them with humor even more going forward.

We believe that our humour is an extremely powerful elixir - it takes the edge off things and helps us see them in a different light.

However, if you don’t think we’re funny let us know! We promise we won’t cry...much. 🐟😜

16/01/2024

Nothing sexier than seeing your Ghanaian husband cooking a one of Slovak traditional dishes, gulas. 😍🔥😋

PS. Today we are releasing a new podcast episode ‘Who’s cooking dinner? Sharing the chores.’ I highly recommend to tune in, it’s hilarious! 😃 (and we hope helpful too ;))

Xx

12/01/2024

When we are TRULY honest with ourselves, we have to admit we want others to understand us, but rarely we put an effort into understanding others. 🤷‍♀️

It surely isn’t easy putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, but when we try to see things from other peoples’ perspective, we often find we have more in common than we thought. 🥰❤️

Who agrees? 🙋‍♀️

03/01/2024

Happy new year friends! 🥰❤️❤️❤️

We have just realised a new podcast episode with an epic title: MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS. 😍😍

(But it could also easily be called ‘What women want’ 😂)

We discuss intriguing differences in men’s and women’s thinking.. and we’re sure you can tell we TRULY enjoyed recording this one! 😀

Life in black & white (and all the shades in between) is available on all platforms!

Enjoy! 😉

Love, Ivana & Yaw xx