Many Hats

For Kelli Brien, empathy is the most important quality that a doula can have. Kelli has that empathy because she’s experienced childbirth without having a doula to walk with her through the process, and she’s also had a navigating the journey with her. For the last 23 years, Brien, a mother of three, has been an advocate and friend to a generation of expectant mothers first through her business, In Full Bloom Service, LLC and currently through her nonprofit Mohogany Maternity. Kelli has served in hospitals, home births and birth centers, for over 20 years, and established the 32nd Milk Bank Depot in Indiana. She has served as the Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion for DONA International and currently serves on The Saint Joseph County Fetal Infant Mortality Review team, the Indiana State Department of Health Maternal Mortality Review team, and the board of Mental Health Awareness of Michiana. She co-founded Birth Equity and Justice SJC, and has testified at the Indiana Statehouse in House and Senate chambers in support of Senate Bill 416, which passed, to be signed by Governor Eric Holcomb. Please welcome to the Many Hats Podcast Kelli Brien, founder of Mohogany Maternity.

Tiana Batiste Waddell has been a student in the South Bend Community School Corporation. She's been a teacher, administrator, parent, consultant and advocate. She now wears the hat of author seeking to give parents the strategies and language to ensure that their children successfully navigate through the often choppy waters of the American educational system. We will talk about her new book "Navigating the American Schooling Institutions: A Captian's Guide" on this episode of The Many Hats Podcast.

Jenario D. Morgan is a Black American Catholic poet and educator whose writing draws deeply from faith, family, history, identity, and the complexities of Black American life. Born June 6, 1961, in Detroit, Michigan, Morgan has spent his life cultivating a profound appreciation for education, culture, spirituality, and the power of language. A husband and father of a daughter and son, he brings the wisdom of family and lived experience to his literary works. Since 2017, Morgan has served as a teacher at Riley High School in South Bend, Indiana, where he works as an assistant within the History Department and helps guide students through the study of history and the human experience. His literary work extends that same intellectual and reflective spirit into poetry. He is the author of Black Nouns, a collection that examines identity, memory, spirituality, history, language, and consciousness through a distinctly personal poetic voice. Morgan's poetry treats words not merely as instruments of expression, but as vessels of cultural memory and spiritual inquiry. His work stands at the intersection of the Black American experience, Catholic imagination, historical consciousness, and the enduring search for meaning. Through both his teaching and his poetry, Jenario D. Morgan continues to affirm the transformative power of education, faith, and the written word.

His poem "Black Wear", came from his thoughts of the physical prowess, resilience, endurance of Black People for the last 600 years. Jenario's poem "Black Excellence" was inspired by Black Inventors and Black Theologians and both of their contributions. His inspiration to write "MLK, destined to be", was by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's oration, activism, community organizing in America's Civil Rights Era.

I was driving down Lincolnway West the Colfax Campus where the Charles Martin Youth Center and the Colfax Cultural Center are located when I noticed a block party taking place at a one-story building across the street. I decided to stop and see what was going on. I soon learned that Rudy Rodriguez, a photographer, videographer, and Washington High School graduate put this event together at the building where his business is located. Rudy is an entrepreneur at heart who had many irons in the fire. Things came together when Rudy decided to turn is passion of photography into his business. He now owns Rodriguez Productions and R Studio, which is the creative space for a variety of artists, as well as an event space. With all that Rudy does, he finds time to give back to the community. Rudy will talk about his why on this episode of The Many Hats Podcast.

Mike Brown is a speaker, author, and founder of Soulstir, a mission-driven publishing and social impact company. He has written several children’s books, including Little Netta’s Gift, The Leprechaun’s Game Day at Notre Dame, and So Lucky to Have You. Originally from Milwaukee, Mike graduated from the University of Notre Dame, where he made history as the first Black student to serve as the iconic Leprechaun mascot. Today, he shares uplifting stories and leadership messages with schools, organizations, and communities across the country.

The rodeo comes to town on Aug. 1. This will be a first for South Bend when the Midwest Invitational Rodeo visits the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds. The rodeo features Black rodeo performers, and that will allow the people in our community to see a little-known part of Black history. Several activities will take place before the cowpokes take center stage. Here to talk about the mental health awareness work that will be done at the rodeo are the Rev. David Buggs and his wife Dr, Larissa Buggs, who is a board-certified psychiatrist. Please welcome them to the Many Hats Podcast.

Voracious is defined as someone who has an insatiable appetite. It’s an adjective often used to describe someone who like to read, and it describes my next guest on this installment of The Many Hats Podcast. Kathy Burnette has been a voracious reader since she was a young person growing up in the Inglewood neighborhood of Chicago, so it should not be surprising that Kathy owns The Brain Lair Bookstore on South Bend’s near Northwest Side. However, Kathy would say that the arc from Inglewood to the Brain Lair was not linear. True, Kathy has worn many hats that qualified her to become a bookseller, including elementary school teacher and middle school librarian. However, owner a bookstore was a distant dream until she concluded that the challenge of getting literature that told diverse stories could only be addressed if she became one of the people who addressed it. I’d like to welcome. Kathy Burnette, owner of The Brain Lair bookstore to The Many Hats Podcast.

On February 6, we lost a cherished member of the arts community when Kelly Burget passed away. Kelly, the founder and artistic director of Uzima Drum and Dance, was the epitome of a person who wore many hats. Throughout her distinguished career, Kelly was classically trained musician, actress, educator and television personality, in addition to be a loving wife and mother. It was though her work as a dancer where people got their chance to see Kelly’s creativity, talent, kindness, generosity, and love for Black culture. A native New Yorker who was born in the borough of Brooklyn, Kelly accepted a scholarship to dance with the acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Kelly gained valuable experience in a myriad of dance styles while training at Ailey, and she took a particular interest in African dance. Kelly came to our community in 2003 to host The Harvest Show and became an adjunct professor of African and Afro-Dance at IUSB in 2012. It was around this time that Kelly began crafting what became Uzima Drum and Dance, playing a leading role in developing the company into a beloved community arts institution. Kelly’s legacy lives on through the people who worked with and loved her and have pledged to complete the work that she started. That work continues on Saturday, July 18 when Uzima Drum and Dance presents Ndyio ya Milele “Eternal Yes,” a performance honoring Kelly’s legacy. Appearing on this special episode of the Many Hats Podcast to talk about that performance and Kelly’s life and legacy are Pierre Batiste, Michelle Jewel and Mia Daly.

Briana Welch is a creator at heart, and bold, bright colors have always played a starring role in the process. That creativity had been centered around cosmetology for many years. She fell in love with that art form at the age of 16, and eventually became a licensed cosmetologist and makeup artist. Briana’s journey to what became Holly and Oak Yarn Company began during the pandemic when she explored new ways to express that creativity. That led her to an old love crocheting. She began displaying her wares at local markets, including one found across the street from the storefront where Holly and Oak is currently located. Now Briana is forming generations of knitters and crocheters into a community at her shop on the near Northwest Side. Wife, mother, cosmetologist, makeup artist, entrepreneur. Briana has worn many hats. Please welcome her to this episode of the Many Hats Podcast.

In 2023, the South Bend Common Council passed an ordinance establishing the South Bend Reparatory Justice Commission. The commission was charged with investigating the harms perpetrated against South Bend’s Black community. While these harms are historic, many of the impacts can still be felt. The commission’s goal was to develop findings and make recommendations to address those harms. The SBRJC completed its task this year and presented its report and recommendations to the Common Council on June 8. The commission will hold a public forum on Monday where it will share the report with the community and seek feedback. Here to discuss the commission’s work and talk about Monday’s forum is commission chairwoman Trina Robinson.