Therapy for Black Girls – Session 400: Mindfulness, Movement & Motherhood with Chelsea Jackson Roberts
Host: Dr. Joy Harden Bradford
Guest: Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts
Date: February 26, 2025
Episode Overview
In this milestone 400th episode, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford welcomes Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts—an internationally celebrated Peloton yoga and meditation teacher, scholar, and influential leader within the wellness community. Their conversation explores the intersections of mindfulness, intentional movement, and motherhood, highlighting how yoga and meditation have shaped Chelsea’s journey both personally and professionally. The episode draws on Chelsea’s unique experiences as an educator, community leader, and new mother, offering practical insights on making mindful practices accessible, centering authenticity, and fostering community care.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Chelsea’s Origin Story with Yoga
Timestamp: 05:38
- Chelsea recounts her very first yoga class—a hot yoga session where she fainted due to discomfort but also experienced a transformative “aha moment.”
- She was a first-year elementary school teacher seeking a space for freedom and self-understanding.
- That pivotal experience set her on a lifelong path of practicing and teaching yoga.
Quote:
"It was fear, it was excitement, curiosity, it was uncertainty...but what I walked away with is knowing that it was that moment that changed the trajectory of the rest of my life."
— Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (06:00)
2. Differentiating Yoga and Meditation
Timestamp: 08:33
- Chelsea explains that historically, meditation predates yoga in Indian tradition. Meditation is about focusing the mind, not necessarily quieting it.
- Meditation: A practice of reflection and understanding; can be brief and accessible.
- Yoga: The physical practice that supports meditation; often described as “moving meditation.”
Quote:
"I think of meditation as this access point...Yoga is the physical practice that can even prepare your body to be able to sit for meditation."
— Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (09:45)
3. Mindfulness During Overwhelm & Entry Points to Practice
Timestamp: 10:48
- Chelsea encourages starting meditation even in imperfect environments, emphasizing breath or visualization as anchors.
- Start small (e.g., 5-minute increments); focus on accessibility, not perfection.
Quote:
"If we wait for that perfection, we may never ever meditate...pace yourself, you'll see how it's actually quite accessible."
— Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (11:14)
4. Motherhood, Presence, and Non-Attachment
Timestamp: 12:12
- Chelsea discusses how motherhood has deepened her yoga practice, emphasizing humility, presence, and non-attachment.
- Yoga teaches her to accept imperfection and be present with her child, applying lessons of grace and self-compassion from the mat to daily parenting.
Quote:
"It's humbling...The yoga begins now...being a parent isn't any different. If anything, I see my yoga practice showing up for me in those moments of...I'm going to do my best."
— Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (12:12, 14:09)
5. Practicing Publicly, Pressure, and Authenticity
Timestamp: 19:25
- Practicing on a public platform (Peloton) increases the sense of responsibility and vulnerability for Chelsea.
- She finds comfort and connection in shared practice, grounding herself by focusing on the communal experience rather than the performance.
- Longevity in her career has reinforced her authenticity both on and off the mat.
Quote:
"It keeps me there because I'm like, I'm still practicing...It strengthened me more than ever. It's reminded me that this is not about me."
— Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (19:46)
6. Music as an Invitation & Broadening Access
Timestamp: 22:09
- Chelsea incorporates diverse music genres—including hip-hop and R&B—into her classes, challenging traditional norms and creating inclusive spaces.
- Music becomes a bridge to make yoga feel more accessible and affirming for people who may not see themselves reflected in conventional yoga settings.
Quote:
"When we open music as an invitation or as a bridge, we remind people that they belong."
— Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (23:29)
7. Community, Sisterhood, and Space Creation
Timestamp: 26:57
- Reflecting on her time at Spelman College, Chelsea emphasizes the power of sisterhood, affirmation, and normalized leadership.
- She describes the Yoga, Literature, and Art Camp (YLA Camp) as an outgrowth of her dissertation, designed to empower young women of color through yoga, meditation, and creative expression.
Quote:
"It was an affirmation. It was a reminder. It was an opening lens that I don't think that I had ever applied towards myself, because I saw the reflection of myself through my sisters and siblings."
— Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (27:04)
8. Yoga as Community Care
Timestamp: 34:48
- Chelsea discusses how communal yoga and mindfulness practice can be acts of liberation and care.
- She quotes James Baldwin, encouraging the embrace of both suffering and joy as portals to deeper love and collective well-being.
Quote:
"We can feel overwhelmed by the reality...but how dare we not also understand and see the love and the joy that exists, too?...my hope is that our community care looks like creating those safe spaces, those affirming spaces, those spaces where we can practice liberation."
— Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (35:20)
9. Navigating Motherhood and Career as a Black Female Athlete
Timestamp: 36:59
- Chelsea reflects on her decision to become a mother later in life and how yoga/meditation gave her courage to pursue what she truly wanted, despite societal doubts about motherhood disrupting athletic or public careers.
Quote:
"If we want to see our lives play out in a certain way, that is possible...I waited later to have children and I still have exactly what I knew that I wanted."
— Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (38:21)
10. Courage, Resilience, and Softness
Timestamp: 40:55
- Motherhood revealed unexpected strength and vulnerability within Chelsea, with yoga and meditation offering tools for navigating both.
- She encourages women to acknowledge their resilience and their softness.
Quote:
"I didn't realize how strong I am [and] how vulnerable I am, how soft I am, how tender this moment is...it's definitely making my senses even more aware. And I love that."
— Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (41:30)
11. Yoga for Grief and Emotional Healing
Timestamp: 42:07
- Chelsea details how yoga helped her process grief after losing her best friend to gun violence.
- Meditation opened the door to therapy, especially somatic therapy, strengthening her holistic healing.
Quote:
"Yoga and meditation was a gateway and an opening for me...to sit down with a professional therapist...yoga and meditation went beyond this physical practice...to being transformative and again impacted the trajectory of my life."
— Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (42:26, 43:25)
12. Accessible Practices and Affirmations for Black Women
Timestamp: 44:52
- Chelsea urges Black women to prioritize self-care, likening it to putting on your own oxygen mask first.
- She recommends resting and starting with manageable, affirming meditative or movement-based routines.
Quote:
"You are worthy of that time...finding rest practices. I think that black women in particular need to be reminded of that."
— Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (45:01)
13. Getting Started: Practical Advice
Timestamp: 46:06
- Advice for beginners: Pick one posture that feels right (even lying down), stick with it, and remember there’s no perfect way to practice yoga or meditation.
- Give yourself permission to unlearn rigidity and be gentle.
Quote:
"Nobody is going to give you a demerit...yoga and meditation allows us to unlearn the things that we've learned about ourselves...allow this to not be that place where that exists."
— Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (46:36)
Memorable Quotes
- "When we open music as an invitation or as a bridge, we remind people that they belong." (23:29)
- "I'm still practicing. I don't care how many years I have underneath my belt, it's still a practice for me." (19:49)
- "Love is the portal to joy." (35:10)
- "You are worthy of that time." (44:59)
Notable Moments & Timestamps
- [05:38] — Chelsea’s first yoga class (and faint!) experience
- [08:33] — Distinction and intersections of yoga and meditation
- [12:12] — Integrating yoga philosophy into motherhood
- [19:25] — Pressure of practicing and teaching publicly
- [22:09] — Using contemporary music to open doors for new audiences
- [26:57] — Reflections on Spelman, sisterhood, and creation of affirming spaces
- [34:48] — Yoga as a form of community care and liberation
- [36:59] — Navigating career, motherhood, and the power of big-picture thinking
- [42:26] — Yoga and therapy as pathways for healing from grief
Staying Connected
- Chelsea Jackson Roberts:
- Instagram: @chelsealovesyoga
- Peloton app ("You do not need the equipment…all you need is your smartphone and app.")
- Website: chelseajacksonroberts.com
Episode Takeaways
- Mindfulness and movement are accessible—start where you are, with what you have.
- Yoga and meditation support emotional, community, and generational healing; they can be both restorative and liberatory practices.
- Motherhood and self-discovery benefit from mindfulness—presence, non-attachment, and self-compassion integrate on and off the mat.
- Authenticity is rooted in longevity and self-awareness, according to Chelsea’s experience as both a leader and learner.
- Black women are especially encouraged to claim rest, joy, and self-care as fundamental needs, not luxuries.
For more resources and to join the Therapy for Black Girls community, visit therapyforblackgirls.com and follow the hashtag #TBGinSession.