Are past offenses triggering you in your new season?

Don Champion climbed the ranks to become a television network news correspondent before he was let go in 2017. He says he was questioned about his voice, asked about his weight and told to “butch it up” during his last few years at the network. Champion says those critiques served as ways to question his identity as a Black gay man.

In this episode we discuss the private and very public ways Don made peace with his workplace trauma.

Episode Log:
1:05 Host Aundrea Cline-Thomas talks about the 1 year anniversary of her NEXT
18:15 Introducing Don Champion
20:40 Don’s national CBS news interview about his treatment at the company
27:06 How Don tapped into his other passion for aviation to chart his transition
31:38 How Don addressed his PTSD
41:06 Announcement about a special giveaway

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About Don:
https://linktr.ee/donchampion

Don Champion is an Emmy award-winning former CBS News Correspondent. He also spent more than a decade covering news in cities from Jackson, MS to New York City.

During his time at CBS News, Don traveled extensively covering stories of national and international interest for more than 200 CBS television affiliates and partners across the globe, the CBS Evening News and CBS This Morning. Stories he covered include the Sandy Hook School Shooting, Aurora Theater Shooting, Pulse Nightclub Shooting, countless hurricanes, Pope Francis' 2015 visit to North America, the death of Fidel Castro, on the campaign trail coverage of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election and the Trump White House.

In his life after news, Don has worked in communications and program manager roles at Alaska Airlines and a top U.S. online retailer based in Seattle. While at Alaska Airlines, he helped produce external videos that helped the airline respond to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic- working closely with the CEO and President. In 2021, Don was even proudly named to the Native Son 101 List Class for speaking publicly about the discrimination that led to the end of his television news career.

Don also started Nod Media & Consulting, a boutique agency specializing in creative video production, media consulting and media coaching & training services.