Traces of Mika is a podcast designed for Black girls who dare to Dream
Season 1 of Traces of Mika was like a mini roller coaster — ups, downs, and all arounds. You don’t quite know what to expect even though you know what to expect. Much like getting on a rollercoaster — you know what you’re getting on. You have an idea of what they’re like and been on some before. Similarly, you have listened to podcasts, but are you ever REALLY ready to experience the fast wave of emotions and thrill. Traces of Mika offered the joyride we enjoyed and like the Raging Bull at Six Flags, we’re ready for another spin. When we fastened our seatbelts and hit play for the first time, we took a dive into the inner life of author, mother, and creativeprenur Tamika Newhouse. Upside down and all around — we cried, laughed, questioned, snapped in agreement, shook our heads in disagreement, revisited the track while we learned a new deep perspective, and were inspired to live authentically.
Traces of Mika offered us Tamika’s journey to success as a Black woman and young single mother. We listened to her ups and downs in the publishing industry, as well as conversations about relationships and marriage with her close friends. More importantly, we learned about her struggles with depression and how she continued her focus to succeed as she coped and healed. We lost ourselves in the emotional episode, “Open Letter to Mama,” in which Tamika explores her pain in the loss of her mother. We witnessed the beauty of her own mother-daughter relationship in “Rain in December” with her daughter Daijah. We celebrated the strength and beauty of strong female friendships and the important role these connections serve in our healing. Finally, the most unique element in this season, the interwoven audio featuring Tamika as a child created the vibe of the ride. This memoir podcast is so beautifully crafted and honestly true, that you can’t do anything but buckle up and go on the journey with her and her guests to the end. Luckily it’s not over yet.
Season 2 of Traces of Mika is scheduled to premiere February 2nd and aimed to dive even deeper into her healing than the first season. It will share more about her process of healing and shed light on some of the most private parts of her life. We’ll learn about Tamika’s relationship with her ex-husband. In addition, she shares insights on the struggles that are not often talked about including raising kids as a single parent, practical steps to healing past trauma, the supportive friendships that get us through it, and so much more. Joining this season are some voices we’ve heard before but finally can now view in the available videocast, as well as an array of new voices — including her son, Marckus Jr. Traces of Mika will be available to view on platforms like YOUTUBE and Amazon Prime for another added dimension to Tamika’s storytelling.
We are thrilled for the upcoming ride this second season promises. We expect answers for pending questions from the first season and are excited to explore new territory in her memoir podcast. Just as we get nervous with rollercoasters, do not fear to travel through Tamika’s light and darkness because we may be pushed to travel through our own soul work and healing. We hope as we overcome the sharp curves in the twists and turns we will be inspired in our own paths in healing and succeeding. Are you ready?? Are we ever REALLY ready? Buckle up y’all! Listen to season 1 now here.
“I can choose to focus on the inevitable- shitty shit happens, bad things happen. But you know what also happens? Joyous things. Fun things.”
~Tamika Newhouse on Traces of Mika Season 1
Written by: Veronica Montes
