# The Truth About Why African Women Struggle To Choose Themselves | For Mannerless Women

An episode of [Legally Clueless](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1457549793), 23 Jul 2026, 53 min.

Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/118b78a04/podcast/play/127656552/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-9-18%2F434414804-44100-2-59b7134b4462c7ea.mp3

The Truth About Why African Women Struggle To Choose Themselves | Leyla Hussein Why do so many African women feel guilty for resting, spending money on themselves, taking up space or simply enjoying life? In this season finale of For Mannerless Women: The Special Audio Season, Adelle sits down with Leyla Hussein, psychotherapist, writer, entrepreneur, BAFTA-nominated activist and one of the BBC's 100 Women, for a conversation that challenges everything we've been taught about sacrifice, survival and womanhood. Together, they unpack how colonization, inherited trauma and patriarchy disconnected African women from pleasure, why choosing yourself is one of the most radical things you can do, and how reclaiming joy is part of our healing. If you've ever struggled to believe you deserve softness, rest, beautiful experiences or a life that feels good, this episode is for you. In this episode: • Why pleasure is so much bigger than sex • The hidden trauma behind guilt, shame and self-denial • Why so many African women don't believe they deserve good things • The connection between survival mode and inherited generational trauma • How colonization shaped African women's relationship with pleasure • Why choosing yourself is not selfish • Redefining love beyond sacrifice • Practical ways to bring more pleasure into your everyday life • Breaking cycles of self-abandonment for future generations • What a liberated African womanhood could look like Connect with Leyla Hussein Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leylahusseinuk/ Leyla's Work: https://linktr.ee/leylahussein Join The Waitlist For For Mannerless Women Live Over 200 women have already joined the waitlist for the very first For Mannerless Women Live. Join the waitlist here: https://tally.so/r/QKWEp8 Subscribe to our newsletter: legallycluelessafrica.com Share Your Story Have a story you'd like to share with the Legally Clueless Africa community? https://forms.gle/MF9NEHeG3KWLMhVF7 Follow Legally Clueless Africa Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legallycluelessafrica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@legallycluelessafrica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/legallycluelessafrica YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LegallyCluelessAfrica If this conversation reminded you that you deserve softness, pleasure and a life that feels good, send this episode to every mannerless or almost mannerless woman in your life. Sometimes the permission to choose ourselves begins with one conversation.

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