Keep It Positive, Sweetie

Episode: "More Than A Housewife w/ Shamea Morton"

Host: Crystal Renee Hayslett
Guest: Shamea Morton Mwangi
Release Date: February 23, 2025

Overview

This heartfelt episode of “Keep It Positive, Sweetie” features actress, host, and Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Shamea Morton Mwangi. Through genuine conversation with host Crystal Renee Hayslett, Shamea opens up about transcending labels ("more than a housewife") and shares her powerful journey balancing a multi-hyphenate career, motherhood, and marriage. Together, they explore faith, perseverance, fertility, cultural integration, and female empowerment with infectious authenticity and vulnerability.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. Breaking Out of Boxes: The Multifaceted Woman

• Shamea recounts her evolution from childhood choir singer to dance team member, actor, and host.
• Both women reflect on refusing to let society limit their paths or box them into single roles.
  • “We are women that aren’t placed in a box. We can do multiple things.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [05:04]
• The hustle behind the scenes—Shamea's path involved persistence, resilience, and faith despite setbacks, including years of overnight radio shifts and repeated “no’s” in the entertainment industry.
  • “People think you just get success overnight, but it’s like, this is a journey.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [08:42]

2. Faith, Manifestation & Trusting the Process

• Both the host and Shamea repeatedly attribute their resilience to faith in God and the power of manifesting dreams.
  • “Just when you start to just be like, all right, I’m over it, [God] steps in and just shows you, ‘I told you to trust me.’” — Shamea Morton Mwangi [10:18]
• They discuss the realness of doubt and asking “Why?” but emphasizing the importance of holding on until the breakthrough.
• Shamea describes "manifesting" a dream hosting gig at the Grammys—even staging a faux announcement—which led to viral confusion and network congratulatory calls, showing the contagious power of dreaming big (and the sometimes unintended consequences).
  • "It was manifestation."
    — Shamea Morton Mwangi [11:34]

3. The Pain and Triumph of Fertility, Surrogacy, and Motherhood

• Shamea shares openly about her fertility journey, demystifying IVF, surrogacy, miscarriages, ectopic pregnancy, and her decision to include her community in the struggles.
  • “I did seven rounds of IVF.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [21:44]
  • “Even when I was busy and I was doing IVF, I would just give myself a shot in the car...Don’t procrastinate. Just do it.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [22:06]
• Shamea also addresses the judgment and ignorance surrounding surrogacy and fertility. She stresses the need for more honest conversations, especially in the Black community:
  • “Especially in the Black community, I didn’t know anything about freezing eggs and IVF...It was just like, don’t get pregnant.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [20:43 & 21:03]
• The trauma and resilience from her daughter's (Shiloh’s) medical struggles: NICU stays, rare diagnoses, and multiple surgeries. Shamea describes how her faith, community, and support from strangers helped her survive.
  • "My girl has had 14 surgeries."
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [29:47]
  • “There was no information about all this stuff...So that’s why I share my story.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [28:52]
• She highlights the challenges of juggling care for both daughters, the impact on family dynamics, and the pain of not being able to shield her eldest from difficulty.
  • “We were a divided house. My husband’s with Shia. I’m with Shiloh...But it definitely made our family stronger.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [33:53]

4. Friendships, Success, and Community

• Shamea discusses how professional growth can change friendships, sometimes leading to distance or resentment, despite her efforts to “bring all my people along."
  • “Sometimes people just don’t see it for you...it’s not even you, you’re like, I’m still here.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [18:38]
• She acknowledges support from unexpected places—often complete strangers—during her most difficult times.
  • “A lot of people that reached out to me weren’t even like my closest friends. It was strangers.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [34:37]

5. Culture, Marriage, and Personal Identity

• Shamea candidly explains the challenges and joys of marrying into a Kenyan family: social stigma, cultural differences, learning Swahili, and maintaining her own identity.
  • “It wasn’t cute back then. Now it’s like glamorized...But back then, it was like, girl, she probably one of his five wives.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [40:12]
• Navigating the Kenyan-American blending: embracing new family traditions, expectations, and an expanded sense of what “family” means.
  • “When I went to Kenya, it’s not about what you’re wearing...they’re giving each other love. The company, the conversation, the companionship.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [49:13]
• The importance of inclusivity and support from her husband in multi-lingual family gatherings.
  • “If you don’t have somebody calling it out for you, it can get frustrating.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [51:34]

6. What’s Next: Purpose, Music, and Giving Back

• Shamea previews new creative projects: upcoming music, a return to her first love of singing, continued acting and hosting.
  • “I did some music with RL that I’m really excited about and proud of, because I’d been away from music for so long.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [52:11]
• She encourages listeners to follow her journey and support her nonprofit, Shamea Shares, which offers free cheer and dance camps for girls and breast cancer events supporting her surrogate's journey.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Delay is not a denial.”
  – Shamea Morton Mwangi [32:55]
• “If that is for you, no man, nothing can stop it...I might be blessing. And I love. It’s coming. It is. I can feel it.”
  – Shamea Morton Mwangi [13:26]
• Reflection on parenthood and hardship:
  • “Maybe Shia’s gonna get me in the end. Shia will be easy later, and Shiloh’s gonna tear me up later.”
    – Shamea Morton Mwangi [36:31]
• “What’s truly important? I’ve seen some of our wealthiest people lose it all and get it all again. So what are you gonna do when you lose it all? That man I’ll live underneath a rock with.”
  – Shamea Morton Mwangi [48:32]
• “When I was in it, you don’t even have time to breathe. You just gotta go, go, go, go, go.”
  – Shamea Morton Mwangi [35:30]
• “You never know what people are going through. A smile and community can go a long way.”
  – Crystal Renee Hayslett [54:51 summary]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Breaking the mold & multi-hyphenate identity: [05:00–08:45]
• Resilience in entertainment, faith & manifestation: [08:45–11:45]
• Motherhood, IVF, surrogacy, and medical adversity: [20:00–37:00]
• Navigating fame and friendships: [17:40–20:05]
• Integration into Kenyan culture & marriage: [39:00–51:00]
• Shamea’s next projects and community work: [52:04–54:01]

Episode Mood & Takeaways

The tone throughout is supportive, candid, and full of hope, tempered with humility and humor. Shamea Morton Mwangi’s story is both unique and widely relatable—permission for listeners to own their complexity, open up about hardships, and believe in the possibility of joy and success despite it all. Faith, love, and the power of authentic community are throughlines that make this a must-listen for anyone seeking encouragement.

Where to Find Shamea

• Instagram/Twitter/Other Socials: [@shameamorton]
• YouTube: Shamea Morton Mwangi / Shamee Morton
• Nonprofit: Shamea Shares (links on social channels)

“I'm going to do all the things. Singing, dancing, acting, hosting…I just want to continue to do things that make me happy, feed my soul, inspire and motivate me, and just give me good peace, energy. That's what I'm about right now.”
— Shamea Morton Mwangi [53:05]