Meet Iya Affo | Culturalist & Trauma Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Iya Affo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Iya, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
Prior to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, my family originated from Benin Republic. During the Slave Trade our ancestors ended in Barbados and then The Bahamas on my mother’s side and Jamaica on my father’s side. I am a nomad! I was born in New York City, grew up mostly in Began County, New Jersey, but have spent the majority of my adult life on the move! I’ve visited over 25 countries and lived in India, China, West Africa, Thailand and Sri Lanka. During childhood, I grew up in a very Jewish community, which I loved. I felt a sense of interconnectedness with my Jewish friends as an African American person. Growing up in this community, however, was the catalyst to where I am today. I can remember standing outside of the Temple with my face pressed against the glass while my friends attended Hebrew School. Sometimes the Rabbi would let me come in and observe their lessons. I wondered what language my people used to speak, and which religion they practiced. I was particularly moved by the fact that our ancestors shared a history of trauma; for them, the Holocaust and for us, the Slave Trade. It made me wonder though why I still witnessed the immense suffering of African American people and while my Jewish friends experienced pain and guilt, they were less likely to struggle socioeconomically, with literacy, incarceration, addiction and mental illness. This set me on a path to researching the impact of Historical Trauma and the science of epigenetics.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As crazy as it sounds, trauma is my passion! My journey in this lifetime was filled with depression, anxiety and isolation. Since young adulthood, I have been in search of answers. There were times when I was in so much emotional pain that I didn’t think I could continue living. While I sought out self-help books, individual counseling, group therapy, meditation, yoga and all of the new age practices you can think of, nothing worked. I remember times when every Monday, I would try a new technique to help me get out of the bed to pursue life, most often it was fruitless. When I became a mother, I knew that I couldn’t give up. I heard about the study of epigenetics about 20 years ago and the research spoke of the possibility that trauma could be passed from one generation to the next, and that resonated with me. I felt that in my soul. From that day I threw myself into research and everything related to trauma. Understanding trauma science breathed life into me. I wanted the whole world to learn what I found. For years, I would speak for free anywhere someone would welcome me to discuss trauma, historical trauma or generational trauma. The collision of the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, launched my business. Suddenly, individuals, businesses and organizations were reaching out to me for training and presentations. One day I had no business and the next day, I had a full trauma training LLC. It was just that fast, after all the years of researching and learning. I want people to know that you can heal from trauma! My brand is about transcending tolerance through love and respect and facilitating self-healing.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my bestie were visiting me here in Gilbert, we would eat breakfast at the Henhouse, have cupcakes at The Coffee Shop, drink coffee at Peixoto, eat dinner at Picazzos, work out at JABZ Gilbert (this is healing in itself!), and have lunch at Lalibela in Tempe. I would drive her to see Tortilla Flats, take her on a scenic drive on Gila River Indian Community, spend time at the Casa Grande Ruins and take walks at the Riparian in Gilbert.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout is dedicated to the man I call my second father because through his love, patience and wisdom, he gave me a chance at a second life. I dedicate my shoutout to my Medicine Man from West Africa.

Website: healhistoricaltrauma.com

Image Credits
Iya Affo