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

🤝🏾Connect with Amani

📚Resources Mentioned

🔔 Stay Connected & Support the Show

🎛️ Production Credits

#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 

📚Resources Mentioned

🔔 Stay Connected & Support the Show

🎛️ Production Credits

#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:

📚Resources from Convo

🔔 Stay Connected & Support the Show

🎛️ Production Credits

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

🎧 Subscribe & Share the Podcast:

☕ Support the show:

📩 Join the email list for updates + free stickers:

📺 Subscribe to us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HighlyVisiblePod

📱 Follow us:

🎙️ All Platforms: https://linktr.ee/highlyvisiblepod

🎛️ 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 

Authenticity isn’t about oversharing or performing—it’s about practicing your values daily. And in this episode, we’re getting real about what it means to truly show up, reject the performance trap, and redefine success on our own terms.

I’m joined by Alawna Ozoka—certified life & leadership coach, bestselling author of Awareness Put Me On, and all-around truth teller. We dive into:

✅ Finding contentment in a chaotic world 🌍

We’re keeping it real, unfiltered, and unapologetically human in this one. If you’ve ever struggled with people-pleasing, perfectionism, or feeling stuck in a version of yourself that no longer fits, this conversation is for you.

🔥 What’s one way you’re practicing authenticity today? Drop a comment below or leave a review on Apple Podcasts/Spotify—we’d love to hear from you!

📌 Connect with Alawna Ozoka:

IG & LinkedIn: @AlawnaOzoka

📚 Buy Alawna's Book, "Awareness Put Me on": https://www.awarenessputmeon.com/

🎧 Listen, Subscribe & Share!

🚨 Join Our Community: Don’t forget to subscribe and sign up for our email list in the YouTube description. Be part of the conversation and get exclusive content, updates, and free stickers to rep the pod!Join our email list: https://highlyvisiblepod.ck.page/684e1e911f 

📺 Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HighlyVisiblePod 

Ways to support the show:

👉🏾 Buy me Ko-fi ☕️: https://ko-fi.com/highlyvisiblepod

Follow us for more:

📸 Instagram: HighlyVisiblePod

🎥 TikTok: HighlyVisiblePod

🎙️ Podcast: https://linktr.ee/highlyvisiblepod

Production:

Produced & Edited by: Jonathan Dumas (@highlyvisiblepod)

Co-produced & Additional Editing by: Reggie Hall

Email: [email protected]

#Authenticity #PerformingAuthenticity #Podcast #SelfAwareness #Healing #BlackJoy #RestIsResistance #Coaching #RealTalk #HighlyVisiblePodcast

How do you choose yourself in a world that asks you to sacrifice your essence? In this soulful and empowering episode of Highly Visible & A Little Misunderstood, Jonathan sits down with Candice, a Dream Doula, to explore what it means to embrace your authenticity, navigate societal pressures, and birth your dreams into reality.

From the challenges of being a multi-passionate creator to redefining time and success, this conversation dives deep into the art of self-alignment. Candice shares her journey from an identity crisis to coining the transformative title of Dream Doula, helping others nurture their passions without abandoning their essence.

Together, they tackle dream blocks, discuss the revolutionary act of choosing joy, and unpack how Afro-futurism reframes time and creativity. Plus, practical advice on managing competing visions and staying rooted in your soul’s calling.

🎧 Tune in for inspiration, tools, and gems to help you step boldly into the life you deserve.

🚨 Join Our Community: Don’t forget to subscribe and sign up for our email list in the YouTube description. Be part of the conversation and get exclusive content, updates, and free stickers to rep the pod!Join our email list: https://highlyvisiblepod.ck.page/684e1e911f 

Whether you’ve ever questioned if you’re truly being yourself, or are curious about the messiness of authenticity, this episode is the perfect place to start.

Connect with Candace:

Download Joy Hub App on Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-joy-hub/id6737627917 

Download Joy Hub App on Google Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.createcommunity.joyhub&pli=1 

📺 Watchon Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HighlyVisiblePod 

Ways to support the show:

👉🏾 Buy me Ko-fi ☕️: https://ko-fi.com/highlyvisiblepod

Follow us for more:

📸 Instagram: HighlyVisiblePod

🎥 TikTok: HighlyVisiblePod

🎙️ Podcast: https://linktr.ee/highlyvisiblepod

Production:

Produced & Edited by: Jonathan Dumas (@highlyvisiblepod)

Co-produced & Additional Editing by: Reggie Hall

Email: [email protected]

#Podcast #HighlyVisiblePodcast #Authenticity #PerformingAuthenticity

In this heartfelt episode of Highly Visible & a Little Misunderstood, Jonathan Dumas welcomes author and creative Jocelyn Chung to discuss her newly released children's book, When Love Is More Than Words. Together, they journey through themes of storytelling, generational love, and finding authentic voices amid personal growth. Jocelyn shares the origins of her book, revealing how it began as a deeply personal poem and evolved into a testament of family care and unspoken love.

The conversation flows from light-hearted memories of family and cultural idiosyncrasies to profound reflections on reclaiming one’s voice and navigating past versions of oneself with empathy. Jonathan and Jocelyn delve into their shared experiences of growth, identity, and the complex process of revisiting past work with grace.

Join them for an enriching dialogue that inspires creatives, writers, and anyone seeking to embrace the raw, unpolished beauty of their journey. Plus, get a glimpse into how intergenerational relationships shape who we are and how we love.

Listen in and reconnect with the power of storytelling, community, and self-compassion.

✨ Head to https://www.magicmind.com/highly and use code HIGHLY20 that gets you 48% off your 1st subscription or 20% off one time purchases 🧠 ✨

🚨 Join Our Community: Don’t forget to subscribe and sign up for our email list in the YouTube description. Be part of the conversation and get exclusive content, updates, and free stickers to rep the pod!Join our email list: https://highlyvisiblepod.ck.page/684e1e911f 

Whether you’ve ever questioned if you’re truly being yourself, or are curious about the messiness of authenticity, this episode is the perfect place to start.

Connect with Jocelyn:

Website: https://www.jocelynchung.com/ 

Instagram: @JocelynSChung - https://www.instagram.com/jocelynschung/ 

📺 Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HighlyVisiblePod 

Ways to support the show:

👉🏾 Buy me Ko-fi ☕️: https://ko-fi.com/highlyvisiblepod

Follow us for more:

📸 Instagram: HighlyVisiblePod

🎥 TikTok: HighlyVisiblePod

🎙️ Podcast: https://linktr.ee/highlyvisiblepod

Production:

Produced & Edited by: Jonathan Dumas (@highlyvisiblepod)

Co-produced & Video Editing by: Reggie Hall

Email: [email protected]

#Authenticity #Podcast #HighlyVisiblePodcast #PerformingAuthenticity #AuthenticityJourney #BeYourself #RealTalk #DeepDive #TrueSelf #AuthenticLiving #PodcastCommunity #StorytellingPodcast