In this episode our hosts discuss the unfortunate and dangerous incident that occurred at SpookyNook and what it means to the beloved NYC Basketball Community and youth sports. Are parents the problem... 

And since it has been a while, we got a chance to check in and see what’s been up with Erin, hearing all about her adventures in photography during the summer of 2021. Lawrence gives us the low down on a summer high — or lowlight that he almost goes viral for! Let’s just say, Erin’s summer is going much better! With nothing but love for our United States 2020 Olympic competitors/representatives, it seemed a no brainer for Erin and Lawrence to discuss Simone Bile’s decision to step away from Olympic competition for mental health reasons. Without holding back these two NBA fans share their opinions as a few teams, including NBA super team the Los Angeles Lakers, Lawrence’s Chicago Bulls, and the New York Knicks—(who are quickly becoming a league favorite for Erin) get a face lift early on in the free agency season! Carmelo Anthony finds his way onto the show’s list of topics once again; and speaking of which, Lawrence gives us another one of his unexpected opinions on a certain NBA superstar; let’s see who he’s hating on now? All this and even more on the next episode of Beyonnnnnd The Journalll (You read it, and heard it in your head didn’t you?)

E & L are coming in hot (& on time!) from the jump on this episode! They move quickly from the horrendous NYC traffic into the Post Season NBA Injury List that looks like an All Star roster. Trae Young and his hair come up. The WNBA is 99% vaccinated. Becky Hammon, Mia Hamm & Serena Williams are mentioned as well! Then Erin & Lawrence move onto the USA Men’s Olympic Basketball Team Roster, Greg Popovich, Jerry Colangelo, stats, analytics, and the NBA as a business. It’s summertime in the city so we have to show love to a few of the NYC Streetball tournaments and unfortunately discuss the gun violence that has infiltrated the streetball courts. And you know on this show we go deep so we dive into being seen, heard, how to tap into self love, your inner peace & power and random acts of kindness! E even shockingly shows L a lil love and mentions his book! All of this and of course so much more…Let’s lead with love and have a safe summer friends!

Lawrence & Erin finally learn what a City Councilperson is responsible for and capable of as our eager hosts have a conversation with Billy Council about the unheard and underrepresented citizens of New York’s District 9 in West Harlem. Billy shares his rough past and scary start and we are able to watch his evolution unfold as he lays out his plans for a better District 9. E & L discuss their own hopes and observations for a District in which they’ve spent quite some time and the ideas and solutions begin popping out of the frying pan! Before the inspirational trio can tackle all of the above, however, they discuss the fallen soldiers of the 2021 NBA’s Playoffs. Erin goes hard at Ben Simmons in defense of Joel Embid—“All roads lead to Kansas”—and the Philadelphia 76ers. And what size shoe was Kevin Durant wearing on his way out of the playoffs with the Brooklyn Nets’ double Overtime loss to Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks? Find out all of that and much more, on the second installment of the “Solution Series”, found only on Beyond The Journal w/ Erin & Lawrence! Tune in. 

Erin & Lawrence return to the studio after experiencing “technical difficulties” to practice what they preach…A personal, difficult conversation! They share some of the challenges they are working through when it comes to communication while working together on Beyond the Journal and The Ballers Journal and how remaining respectful is key regardless of the differences in perspectives and opinions. Then they jump into the NBA Playoffs! LeBron and Curry are out and the young players in the league like Trey Young are making a big impact in their absence. We can’t seem to go an episode without mentioning the Knicks or L’s “love” for all things Melo. Moving on to Naomi Osaka, mental health, self care, meditation, vulnerability and more. We end with quotes from the amazing Brene Brown! We are back in the building, working on communicating through adversity and trusting the process. Join us for this honest, open, work in progress conversation!

Wow! Our esteemed guest, Officer T.J. Jones, was a gift from the universe for our beloved cohost Lawrence! Given the current climate and the widening gap between the police force and many of the minority and lower class communities that they police, Beyond The Journal hosts, Erin and Lawrence, work their way through an emotional and insightful conversation with Officer "J-Ones." Can the police do better than they have? Will they do better than they have? Do police officers care? Are there different rules for officers and civilians? How many guys does it take to arrest one man? The information that they receive in T.J.’s responses invokes an emotional response from Erin & confusion from Lawrence. And we even find a minute to throw in a little New York Knicks and L’s favorite player, Melo, into this deep conversation. Tune in ASAP. Trust us, this ain’t the one to miss!

This episode starts off normal enough: Erin & Lawrence discuss the playoff approaching, NBA Season that has been on fire! Chris Paul, Steph Curry, Julius Randle and the New York Knicks—of course this is an interesting topic for Lawrence! E & L also discuss, however, injuries and their impact on the game from a different perspective. College basketball finds its way into the discussion and our two hosts dive right into the transfer portal with new rules and new possibilities, oh what could be—! Then recent, national news becomes the focus, and the show takes a shift. What starts off as a conversation about Derek Chauvin, George Floyd, And Ma’Khia Bryant, quickly lands on Andrew Brown, Anthony Carter Jr., racial issues—and the police officers of the United States of America. Though clearly more emotional than he wished it to be, Lawrence’s reaction opens the door to a conversation, that needed to be started and is far from over. This episode will have you asking, how did we get here, and where do we go from here? That’s where Erin & Lawrence stand: Beyond the Journal.Tune in.

The legendary Ken Stevens, aka Mr. Dyckman, graced the Beyond the Journal studio with his presence, energy, wisdom and knowledge! We kick it off with Ken’s take on Myers Leonard's fine & suspension, Cancel Culture, the NBA logo and branding in general. He also weighs in on L’s favorite segment, Whose Kid Is This?, featuring Zach Lavine’s 4th Grade Teacher. Then its straight to all things Dyckman Basketball! It takes a LOT to make the summer street ball season happen safely. Ken walks us through all of it from the Dyckman team/family, the local community, the die hard fans, the vendors, the DJs, photographers, security, etc. Oh! And Summer 2021?!?! Well…you gotta listen to find out! Tune in now!

A not so warm welcome from Erin to Lawrence does not stop this show from heating up and staying hot! In typical Beyond the Journal fashion, this episode starts on the topic of inner city basketball and parenting child athletes with current and future covid protocols and gradually works its way to the NBA All-Star game! Erin and Lawrence discuss the Eastern and Western Conference rosters; NBA All-Star Roster selection processes; Snubs—including Lebron’s honest opinion and overall performances of NBA players thus far. Kyrie Irving is back in the conversation and while he may be balling out of control, E & L are much more interested in his comments off the court, his intentions, and the possible future of his perspective. Thanks to the unfortunate and untimely injury of Bronny James, the main topic of this episode lands on the idea of player injuries and the impact these injuries have on each player’s legacy and his relationship with the league and his team. In other news, New York governor, Andrew Cuomo troubles and poor reactions land him in the discussion in a way he may not be proud of. All that and more in this jam-packed not so welcome back episode for Lawrence!

Malachi Smith & his Father, Elliot Rosado, join Beyond The Journal in the studio to give you a glimpse inside Maliz World. We talk all things NYC basketball! From his start in AAU at Gauchos, to Saint Raymond’s, the PSA Cardinals, Nike’s NY vs NY and a BTJ favorite…Dyckman! Several NYC ballers and coaches are mentioned throughout the conversation, including friend and former guest Chris Williams, aka CWill. We discuss Mali’s workouts, work ethic, what inspires & motivates him, the recruiting process and how he handled the stressful decision of committing to the D1 program, Dayton University. Elliot also provides a parent’s perspective which is helpful for all parents navigating the basketball world with their young ballers. Take a trip with us inside Maliz World!

What started out as a gift to basketball moms and dads quickly became a gift for anyone listening and watching, including our hosts, Erin & Lawrence. Beyond the Journal was blessed with the company of award-winning, Writer, Film Director, T.V. & Film Producer, Active Sports Mom & doer of so much more, Crystal McCrary! Crystal joins via Skype and answers questions about what it takes to raise an NBA athlete like Cole Anthony or a College athlete like, daughter Ella Anthony; the impact of AAU on the child; the impact of business on AAU and youth sports; the difference between parenting in the early 2000’s versus parenting in the 2020’s and more! In addition she speaks on her honest and successful husband, Ray McGuire who is currently running to become NYC’s next mayor—apparently he’s already got Lawrence’s vote! He must be a part of Lawrence’s “fam” or whatever! Above all we find that Crystal is no different from other mothers who are attempting to raise children in a world that has become unstable and no less demanding of its youth! Tune in and hear our dynamic duo ask the kinds of questions parents don’t often get to ask one another at the park, in the bleachers, or out in the halls at Parent Teacher Conferences.