Ms. Wanda's Full Circle Radio

What happens when a child struggles academically and begins to believe they simply aren't good at learning? How can parents recognize learning gaps, find the right support, and help their children rebuild confidence?

On this episode of Ms. Wanda’s Full Circle Radio, Ms. Wanda welcomes Sarilyn Cobb, an educator, mentor, and founder of Illuminate Learning Academy, for an important conversation about math achievement, academic intervention, and helping students recognize their potential.

Sarilyn shares how her experience as a high school mathteacher, her own educational journey, and her commitment to mentoring young people inspired her to establish Illuminate Learning Academy. Her approach goes beyond teaching formulas and solving problems. She believes students needrelationships, encouragement, individualized instruction, and someone who believes in their ability to succeed.

In this conversation, we explore:

• How academic challenges can undermine a child's confidence and create a belief that they simply cannot succeed.

• Why relationship-building and understanding a child's circumstances matter alongside academic instruction.

• How parents can support their children even when they don't feel confident in math themselves.

About Illuminate Learning Academy

Founded by Sarilyn Cobb, Illuminate Learning Academyprovides personalized academic support designed to help students strengthen their skills, overcome challenges, and grow in confidence.

Services include one-on-one and small-group tutoring, mathsupport, academic intervention, and support for schools and educators. Sarilyn works with learners from elementary school through college and offers both virtual and in-person options.

Parents: Here's your next step

If your child is struggling with math, falling behind, orlosing confidence in the classroom, don't assume they are incapable of learning. There may be foundational skills that need attention or a different approach that helps concepts click.

Connect with Sarilyn Cobb:

• Website: IlluminateLearningAcademy.com

• Email: [email protected]

• Social media: Search for @SarilynElizabeth.

Parents, caregivers, educators, and school administratorsare encouraged to explore how Illuminate Learning Academy may support their students or school community.

Because every learner deserves the opportunity to thrive—and every child deserves to have someone who believes they can do difficult things.

What have you been carrying that may no longer belong in your next chapter? And what happens when you spend so much time pouring into others that you lose touch with yourself?

In this episode of Ms. Wanda’s Full Circle Radio, Ms. Wanda welcomes Dr. Kindra Denise Brooks, a nurse educator, resilience strategist, keynote speaker, and founder of Kindra Denise Speaks LLC, for an honest conversation about identity, belonging, emotional wellness, and the courage to release what no longer serves us.

The conversation also explores her memoir, Where I Belong: A Memoir of Identity, Belonging, and the Courage to Come Home to Yourself. Through personal storytelling, Dr. Kindra examines how our experiences shape the way we see ourselves, and how honest reflection can help us move forward.

Listeners will learn about her signature 4R Framework™: Review, Reflect, Receive, and Renew, a practical approach to examining our experiences, understanding their impact, finding meaning, and choosing how to move forward. 

She also introduces Power of the Pour™ 2.0: Lay It Down, an immersive wellness experience designed to help participants identify what they are carrying, reflect on whether it is serving them, and make space for renewal. The experience will include guided work with the 4R Framework, a workbook, and community connection.

In This Episode

• The pressure Black women can experience to prove themselves in professional spaces

• Navigating workplace bullying and learning to advocate for yourself

• How the 4R Framework™ can help us process difficult experiences

• Simple breathing and reflection practices to help us pause and reset

• The inspiration behind Where I Belong and Power of the Pour™ 2.0: Lay It Down

What are you ready to lay down?

Join Dr. Kindra Denise Brooks for an immersive wellness experience focused on reflection, renewal, and authentic connection. Whether you are a caregiver, leader, entrepreneur, healthcare professional, or someone who has spent years pouring into everyone else, this experience invites you to make space for yourself. Men are welcome, too.

Event details

• Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026

• Time: 10 AM–1:30 PM

• Registration: Visit Eventbrite and search “Power of the Pour.”

In Where I Belong: A Memoir of Identity, Belonging, and the Courage to Come Home to Yourself, Dr. Kindra Denise Brooks invites readers into a deeply personal exploration of adoption, identity, achievement, and the journey toward self-acceptance.

Purchase the book: Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at the Power of the Pour™ 2.0 event.

Attend Power of the Pour™ 2.0: Lay It Down; Get the Book: Where I Belong

On this episode of Ms. Wanda’s Full Circle Radio, we’re putting maternal heart health at the center of the conversation.

Ms. Wanda welcomes Monica Alleje, Senior Community Impact Director with the American Heart Association, who shares her personal experience with preeclampsia and the unexpected health challenges she faced during and after childbirth.

Monica discusses the importance of maternal heart health, recognizing potential warning signs, monitoring blood pressure, understanding family health history, and advocating for yourself when something doesn't feel right.

The conversation also explores the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement, maternal health initiatives, community education, and resources that help families access heart health information and tools.

We examine a message that extends beyond motherhood: women often put everyone else first, but our health cannot remain an afterthought.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Monica’s personal journey through preeclampsia and postpartum complications.

• Why maternal health risks can continue after childbirth.

• Women’s heart health and the importance of recognizing potential warning signs.

• Knowing your blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, and other key health indicators.

• The importance of family health history, quality sleep, healthy habits, and self-advocacy.

• Community resources and the American Heart Association’s efforts to improve women’s health outcomes.

Take action: Make your health a priority. Talk with your healthcare provider about your personal risk factors, ask questions about your family health history, and seek prompt medical attention for concerning symptoms. If you are pregnant or have recently given birth, discuss your heart health and blood pressure with your healthcare team.

Learn more about heart health education and community initiatives through the American Heart Association. Follow its Northern California chapter on Instagram at @AHA Northern California.

Because taking care of yourself is not selfish. It’s essential.

This week, we dedicated the show to women's heart health, with conversations about maternal heart health, prevention, knowing your family history and the importance of putting our own well-being on the priority list.

Ms. Wanda sat down with Dr. Reetu Sharma, cardiologist with Sutter Health and president of the American Heart Association's Sacramento board.

Dr. Sharma helped us understand how cardiovascular risk changes throughout a woman's life, why menopause and pregnancy complications matter, and how factors such as family history, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and mental health can affect our hearts.

We also talked about the gender gap in cardiac care, the importance of recognizing warning signs, and why women must advocate for themselves. And don't overlook this important reminder: learning CPR can help save the life of someone you love.

One message from this conversation really stayed with me: We cannot fix a problem we don't know exists. Awareness must lead to action.

Family, don't just listen. Take a step toward better heart health. Schedule a checkup, learn your numbers, ask about your family history, and make time for your well-being.

Learn more about women's heart health at goredforwomen.org.

Share this episode with a mother, sister, daughter, friend, or any woman who needs this reminder. We deserve to live longer, healthier lives, and that starts with taking our health seriously.

Advocacy, Leadership & Black Youth

How do we empower Black youth to use their voices, advocate for themselves and become leaders in their communities?

On this episode of Ms. Wanda’s Full Circle Radio, Ms. Wanda welcomes Lorreen Pryor, President and CEO of the Black Youth Leadership Project (BYLP), and members of her team for a conversation about supporting Black students and families.

In this conversation, we explore BYLP’s work in student and family advocacy, mentoring, leadership and civic engagement, substance-use prevention, and mental health and wellness. We also discuss the importance of helping young people understand the systems that shape their lives and recognize that their voices matter.

Plus, learn about BYLP’s Black v. The Board of Education podcast, a platform amplifying Black voices and encouraging meaningful conversations about education, equity, leadership and our communities’ future.

Listen in and discover why investing in Black youth leadership is an investment in our collective future.

Take Action: Learn more about the Black Youth Leadership Project and its programs, and share this episode with a parent, educator, community advocate or young person who needs to hear this conversation.

Follow on Instagram @bylp or visit their website blyp.org

For the final episode of the 2026 Full Circle Men on the Move series, Ms. Wanda sits down with Hakeem Croom — certified life and leadership coach, speaker, educator, entrepreneur, transformational storyteller, author and founder and CEO of Defying All Odds.

Born and raised in Harlem, Hakeem’s life story is one of resilience, determination, faith and purpose. His journey is captured in the documentary Bigger Than Me: The Hakeem Jubal Croom Story, which takes viewers inside the experiences that helped shape the man he is today.

In this deeply personal conversation, Hakeem shares what it was like growing up in Harlem during the 1980s and 1990s, experiencing foster care as a young child, and developing an early sense that there had to be something more for his life.

He talks about the opportunity that changed the trajectory of his life — leaving Harlem at 16 to attend Fishburne Military School in Virginia. There, he discovered that the leadership qualities he had developed growing up could reach far beyond the environment he knew.

Hakeem also opens up about one of the most painful chapters of his story: losing his mother on his first day of college. He shares what gave him the strength to return to school after burying his mother, including the promise he had made to her and the support he received from his teammates and coaches, who were waiting for him when he arrived back at school at 4 a.m.

We also talk about family, fatherhood, vulnerability, faith, Hakeem’s move from Virginia to California, and the calling he feels to use his story to help others see what is possible beyond their circumstances.

And, of course, we talk about Bigger Than Me and why Hakeem felt compelled to turn his life story into a documentary.

Hakeem’s next chapter is his upcoming book, Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot: How to Win This Game Called Life and Flourish. Using the childhood game as a metaphor, he explores the “hands” life deals us — and how we can use our experiences, choices and determination to overcome limiting beliefs, pursue our dreams and flourish.

The book is scheduled for release October 14 and is currently available for pre-order.

WATCH + SUPPORT HAKEEM

If this conversation moves you, don’t stop with the podcast.

Watch Bigger Than Me and experience Hakeem’s story for yourself. Then support his next chapter by pre-ordering Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot: How to Win This Game Called Life and Flourish.

Visit hakeemcroom.com to watch the documentary and pre-order the book. Hakeem shared that both are available through his website. This is more than supporting a filmmaker and author. It’s supporting a story of perseverance, purpose and possibility — and helping a story that can inspire someone else reach them.

And that brings us to the close of the 2026 Full Circle Men on the Move series.

If you missed any of the conversations with this year’s Men on the Move, catch them all now and listen to the stories of men who are using their experiences, talents, voices and influence to make an impact.

We’re kicking off Breast Cancer Awareness Month with our friend Reverend Tammie Denyse, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Carrie's Touch, as they celebrate an incredible 20 years of serving Black women and families impacted by breast cancer.

Rev. Tammie shares the personal journey that inspired Carrie's Touch, the importance of making sure Black women are seen and supported throughout their breast cancer journey, and how the organization continues to provide education, advocacy, research and critical resources—including its Rapid Response Program.

We also talk about the next chapter for Carrie's Touch and a very special way to celebrate this milestone:

Dinner with the Youngers
October 23–25 | Celebration Arts, Sacramento

Inspired by A Raisin in the Sun, this powerful production explores family, chronic illness, grief, communication, healing and the importance of having difficult conversations together. It’s also a 20th anniversary celebration and fundraiser supporting the continued work of Carrie's Touch.

Get your tickets and support Carrie's Touch at carriestouch.org.

Twenty years is a remarkable milestone—but the mission continues. As Carrie's Touch says, the journey is “From Dream to Legacy.”

What does it really mean to create a safe community?

This week on Full Circle Men on the Move, Ms. Wanda sits down with Khaalid Muttaqi — Chief Operating Officer of Advance Peace, community safety advocate, and the writer, director and producer of the powerful documentary The Paradox of Safety.

Khaalid shares the personal journey that shaped his life's work, from growing up in a strong Black community in Seaside, California, to dropping out of high school, finding his way back through community college and eventually graduating from UC Berkeley. He talks candidly about the mentors, coaches, teachers and community members who helped keep him grounded — and why he believes today's young people need that same kind of support.

The conversation takes a deeper look at youth violence, childhood trauma, the importance of building relationships with young people, and why Khaalid believes "the relationship is the intervention."

We also talk about his journey into violence prevention in Sacramento, his work with Advance Peace, and what he learned from efforts to address youth gun violence.

Then we get into The Paradox of Safety.

Set in Sacramento, the documentary examines the complicated layers behind community safety, including youth violence, trauma, education, redlining, prevention and the systems that shape our communities. Khaalid explains why he felt it was important to tell this story and why he believes we have to create space to reimagine what safety can look like.

It's a powerful conversation about young people, community, accountability, healing and hope — and a reminder that solutions require relationships, resources, honest conversations and community involvement.

SEE THE FILM

The Paradox of Safety has been selected for the 5th Annual Oak Park Black Film Festival on October 6.

Ms. Wanda has seen the film — and calls it powerful and eye-opening.

If this conversation moves you, don't stop with the podcast. Get your tickets and support the film. Support Khaalid and the local filmmakers who helped bring this Sacramento story to the screen. And stay for the conversation that follows the screening.

Because some stories aren't meant to simply be watched. They're meant to start a conversation.

What happens when life takes you through grief, responsibility, sacrifice and seasons you never expected — and then asks you to figure out who you are on the other side?

In this Men on the Move conversation, Ms. Wanda sits down with Craig C. Carlisle, a father of five, writer, music producer, engineer, podcaster and man of faith.

Nearly 14 years after losing his wife to cancer, Craig opens up about the reality of raising five sons while navigating his own grief. He shares the emotional toll of shutting down, the anger that followed his loss, and the difficult lessons he learned about putting his family first while also losing touch with parts of himself.

The conversation explores grief, healing, faith, fatherhood, purpose and legacy. Craig also reflects on his journey as a father and the importance of preparing the next generation while allowing children to experience life and become who they are meant to be.

Now, with his sons grown and his youngest recently graduating from high school, Craig is entering a new season as an empty nester. He talks about rediscovering himself, reconnecting with his creative gifts and embracing what God has next.

We also highlight music from Craig’s upcoming EP, Lost and Found, a deeply personal record that reflects his journey and the experiences that have shaped him.

From fatherhood and faith to music, healing and finding himself again, Craig’s story is a powerful reminder that sometimes a new chapter begins when we least expect it.

*Music from Craig’s upcoming EP, "Lost and Found", is used with permission on this podcast.

In the second installment of the Full Circle Men on theMove series, Ms. Wanda sits down with Sacramento native Attorney George H. Jones, Esquire for a candid conversation about justice, business, legacy, family and service.

George is a criminal defense and civil rights attorney withmore than 40 years of experience in the legal profession. He is also chairman of the board of the California Black Chamber of Commerce and its foundation, where his work includes supporting Black-owned businesses and helping entrepreneurs understand the resources and opportunities available to them.

Topics Discussed: 

     * Law Office of George H. Jones: From Del Paso Heights to the courtroom

       * CA Black Chamber of Commerce: Why Black businesses need to get in the room

        * Estate Planning: Protecting what you've worked to build

   * Lessons on legacy

      * Advice for the next generation

Connect with Attorney George H. Jones

Phone: 888-675-2456
Email: [email protected]
Office: 816 8th Street, Sacramento, CA

Note: The estate-planning discussion is for generalinformational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized legal advice.