Minister Obatalia™ Yemoshunya of Southeast on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Minister Obatalia™ Yemoshunya shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Obatalia™, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? When have you felt most loved—and did you believe you deserved it?
I feel most loved right at this miraculous moment. I don’t believe I have to be in service to love in order to align with it. Love is an inheritance regardless of being deserving or not.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I engage community members with thought-provoking media such as music, meditations, books, in-person experiences, and more to ignite inner inquiry, gentle subconscious reconditioning, and epigenetic recalibration.

Through creatively leveraging skill sets I have developed across various fields of study, Ashanti Gumbo™ was founded in reverence and honor of releasing destructive behaviors, embodying healthier coping mechanisms, and transforming the absence of awareness into consistent, accountable, documented change.

What makes the tincture of my offerings so potent is their replicability. I create with the intent that others take the resources I provide and build upon them.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
With each moment, I am gracefully releasing the parts of me that long to be liked, validated, agreed with, adored, or even considered. I’ve come to recognize that all of this is contingent upon something outside of me—and I now understand how dangerous it is to love myself last.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering put a black light on things I thought were squeaky f&@king clean. I had to sit with things I believed were “healed.” I found myself in muddied waters of defense, asking my body for clues to the truth behind feeling triggered by a circumstance that washed over me like a wave.

Suffering through the regret of mishandled relationships reminded me of the necessity of character assessment and of exploring how my actions affect others, ultimately leading me to become a better relationship gardener.

Suffering from frustrations around undervaluing my gifts and not being paid what my work truly deserves taught me how to embody my inherent values and enforce that recognition through pricing strategy and time-and-energy commitments.

Suffering has given me a sage perspective on how to truly build without buckling under the pressure to succeed.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
There is no enemy. We are all one. War without is a reflection of war within. The connectivity of all things, within cycles of birth and decomposition, is as intimate as being delightfully groped by your favorite person. The more I embrace that I am because you are, the more impossible it becomes to harm or disrespect you—because to do so would be to harm myself. Fully accepting interconnectedness, violence—subtle or loud—starts to feel illogical. Like punching a mirror under the illusion that what you see is something outside of you.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If immortality were real, what would you build?
I am building teaching silos across the world—sanctuaries that double as sustainable housing for creatives. Within these living compounds, artists are equipped with the tools, training, and infrastructure needed to work professionally, remain lawfully sound, and live with housing stability. When housing and resources are secure, development deepens, cultivating a more equitable ecosystem of multidisciplinary creatives with executive and administrative mysticism.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.obatalia.com
• Instagram: www.instragram.com/obatalia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obatalia
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Obatalia
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashantigumboexperience
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@obatalia
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/obatalia

Image Credits
Aspen Cierra Photo, Polly Dawson Photographer, Lumina Soul Photography