What if joy wasn’t a bonus after surviving the grind—but the intentional practice that sustains the work, heals the wounds, and builds community?

In this stripped-down minisode of Highly Visible & A Little Misunderstood, Jonathan Dumas shares powerful highlight moments from two women doing the internal and external work—Melany Del Carpio and Kenisha Coon. They unpack how ritual, self-expression, boundary-setting, and radical commitment to joy become both armor and repair in lives filled with equity work, identity navigation, and creative evolution.

What You’ll Hear:

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#Podcast #BlackJoy #HighlyVisiblePodcast #OnJoy #RestCulture #WorkingMoms #MentalHealth #BlackPodcastCommunity #Joy&Career #BlackCreators #JoyRituals #RestIsResistance #Self-Expression #EquityWork #CommunityBuilding #RadicalJoy #MentalHealth #IntentionalLiving #IdentityReclamation #PersonalBranding #AuthenticLeadership #BoundarySetting #PodcastHighlights #Anti-Racism #JoyAsResistance #BurnoutRecovery

What if the biggest risk in your career isn’t walking away, but staying in a job that drains your soul?

Tiffany and Jonathan dive deep on:

Whether you’re a Black woman in tech, a working parent, or anyone wrestling with a career impasse, this conversation will remind you that joy isn’t a prize for later—it’s your birthright today.

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What fears held you back? What unexpected freedom came when you finally said, “I deserve rest, I deserve joy, I deserve me”? Drop a comment below or send a voice note → https://form.smartsuite.com/sszxz4mn/sxwLOAg7ur

📚 Resources & Links

• Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey

Produced & Edited by: Jonathan Dumas

Co-Produced & Additional Editing: Reggie Hall

Contact: [email protected] 

#Podcast, #BlackJoy, #HighlyVisiblePodcast, #OnJoy, #Burnout, #RestCulture, #CareerJoy, #TechIndustry, #BlackWomenInTech, #BlackWomeninSales, #WorkingMoms, #CareerPivot, #MentalHealth, #BlackPodcastCommunity, #QuitWithoutBackupPlan,#Joy&Career, #BlackCreators, #CorporateBurnoutRecovery

How do you keep choosing joy when your heart keeps breaking?

In this episode of Highly Visible & A Little Misunderstood, I sit down with Mimi Gonzalez—host of griefsense, Gen-Z storyteller, and grief worker—to explore how we carry loss, build legacy, and still find our way back to joy.

Mimi shares what it’s like to live with 36 funerals by age 29—and how grief reshaped her relationship with creativity, community, and rest. We talk about the weight of cumulative trauma, the loneliness of being a highly visible griever online, and the radical act of turning grief into art.

We also unpack:

This isn’t a conversation about “getting over it.”

📤How has grief reshaped your relationship with joy?

Send a voice note or message: https://form.smartsuite.com/sszxz4mn/sxwLOAg7ur

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What does it really take to push through fear, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome—and still choose joy?

In this episode, I’m joined by DJ, professor, and bestselling author Amani Roberts for a grounded, honest conversation about the creative process, the emotional power of music, and the kind of joy that only shows up after you’ve risked something real.

We talk about:

If you’ve ever been stuck in your head, second-guessed your next move, or wondered if the thing you’re building is even worth it—this episode is for you.

🗣️ Share with us:

What’s one song that brings you back to joy?

Drop it here: https://form.smartsuite.com/sszxz4mn/sxwLOAg7ur

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#Podcast #BlackJoy #HighlyVisiblePodcast #Creativity #MusicHealing #R&B #PodcastInterview #CreativeProcess #MentalHealth #FearAndJoy #JoyAsResistance #BlackPodcasts #BlackPodcaster #BlackPodcastCommunity

Annual tradition, honest conversation.

Each July 4th I return to Frederick Douglass’ 1852 address to check the pulse of American freedom. In this replay runback I share a partial reading of the speech’s most searing passages—followed by my own reflections 

📤When have you felt both pride and discomfort on the 4th?

Share your story via voice note, DM, or tag @HighlyVisiblePod—I may feature your perspective in next year’s runback: https://form.smartsuite.com/sszxz4mn/sxwLOAg7ur 

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#HighlyVisiblePodcast #PodcastCommunity #PodcastCommunity #RestIsResistance #FrederickDouglass #FourthOfJuly #BlackHistory #HighlyVisiblePodcast

What happens when joy feels like a luxury you didn’t earn? In this powerful conversation with life coach and facilitator Ashmi Patel, we explore the quiet ache of perfectionism, inherited guilt, and the radical practice of feeling good—on purpose.

Ashmi shares how growing up as the daughter of immigrants shaped her relationship to joy, rest, and self-worth. From late-diagnosed ADHD to healing through creativity and coaching, she invites us to rethink the stories we’ve been told about what we deserve. If you’ve ever felt guilty for slowing down, choosing yourself, or daring to enjoy your life—this one’s for you.

🌀 Topics we explore:

📤 Have you ever felt like you had to earn your joy—or that it came at a cost? Maybe you felt guilty for feeling good while others were struggling, or found it hard to celebrate something that came easily. Where do you think that feeling came from?: https://form.smartsuite.com/sszxz4mn/sxwLOAg7ur 

🤝🏾 Connect with Ashmi

📚 Resources Mentioned

🔔  Stay Connected & Support the Show

🎛️ Production Credits

What happens when joy feels like a luxury you didn’t earn? In this powerful conversation with life coach and facilitator Ashmi Patel, we explore the quiet ache of perfectionism, inherited guilt, and the radical practice of feeling good—on purpose.

Ashmi shares how growing up as the daughter of immigrants shaped her relationship to joy, rest, and self-worth. From late-diagnosed ADHD to healing through creativity and coaching, she invites us to rethink the stories we’ve been told about what we deserve. If you’ve ever felt guilty for slowing down, choosing yourself, or daring to enjoy your life—this one’s for you.

🌀 Topics we explore:

📤Have you ever felt like you had to earn your joy—or that it came at a cost? Maybe you felt guilty for feeling good while others were struggling, or found it hard to celebrate something that came easily. Where do you think that feeling came from?: https://form.smartsuite.com/sszxz4mn/sxwLOAg7ur 

🤝🏾Connect with Ashmi

📚Resources Mentioned

🔔 Stay Connected & Support the Show

🎛️ Production Credits

What if fitness wasn’t about chasing numbers—but about reclaiming joy in your body?

In this episode of Highly Visible & A Little Misunderstood, I’m joined by Brandon Howard, a personal trainer, health coach, and founder of Howard Power Fitness. Together, we explore what it means to feel at home in your body—regardless of weight, appearance, or arbitrary milestones.

Brandon shares how years in the fitness industry taught him that most people don’t just want muscle—they want to feel better, move easier, and live with more freedom. We talk about vanity goals, body image, performance culture, and how self-awareness and grace can transform how we approach movement and strength.

This episode is an invitation—to slow down, listen inward, and return to joy… on your terms.

💬 Join the Conversation!

When do you feel most at home in your body?

Tell us about a moment of body joy—no numbers, no pressure. Just you, being fully you.  📩 Submit here: https://form.smartsuite.com/sszxz4mn/sxwLOAg7ur

🤝🏾 Connect with Brandon Howard:

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What if joy isn’t something we chase, but something we return to?

In this season's opening episode of our new theme, On Joy, I reflect on what it means to slow down, pay attention, and remember joy—not the loud or curated kind, but the quiet, complex, deeply human kind.

Through personal reflection, spiritual tension, generational memory, and a whole lot of pondering, this video essay sets the tone for a season-long exploration of joy in all its forms—emotional, embodied, resistant, communal, and mundane.

This isn’t a guide. It’s an invitation. To listen. To breathe. To feel.

Joy is still possible. And you’re still here.

✨ Submit your story of joy for a chance to be featured in this season: https://form.smartsuite.com/sszxz4mn/sxwLOAg7ur

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🎛️ Production Team

Produced & Edited by: Jonathan Dumas (@highlyvisiblepod)

Co-produced & Additional Editing by: Reggie Hall

📬 Email: [email protected]

What’s good y’all! It’s your boy, Jonathan Dumas. I’m dropping in with a quick check-in for my Highly Visible & A Little Misunderstood fam.

We’ve been cooking behind the scenes, and I’m excited to announce that WE COMIN BACK! New Seaon, On Joy, is dropping next month!

In this short solo episode, I’m sharing:

✨ We’re inviting you to share what’s bringing you joy! ✨

📣 Submit your joy story here → https://form.smartsuite.com/sszxz4mn/sxwLOAg7ur 

📺 P.S. We’re also on YouTube! Tap in, subscribe, like, comment—it helps us keep these conversations flowing. Catch up on our vault episodes here → https://www.youtube.com/@HighlyVisiblePod