My guest on the podcast this week is Ty Hunter. Ty is a designer, fashion stylist, and first time author of the new book "Makeover From Within."  Ty rose to fashion icon status as the stylist for Destiny’s Child and then for the legendary Beyoncé and has also styled Solange, Kelly Rowland, and Billy Porter to name a few. Ty has also dedicated himself to motivating others via speaking engagements and with the with daily affirmations and inspirations he shares via his instagram account @tytryone.

In our wide ranging conversation we chat about his becoming a parent at 22 years old, living in his truth, being a caregiver for his Mother in her battle with breast cancers, and the faith that powers his positive attitude and carefree demeanor.

https://www.tytryone.com/

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My guest this week is Shawn A. Ginwright PhD. 

Dr Ginwright is a leading innovator, provocateur and thought leader on African American youth, youth activism and youth development. He is  the founder and chief executive officer of Flourish Agenda, Inc., a research lab and consulting firm whose mission is to design strategies that unlock the power of healing and engage youth of color and adult allies in transforming their schools and communities. He is also a professor of education in the Africana Studies Department and a senior research associate at San Francisco State University and the author of the dynamic book The Four Pivots.

In our conversation we chat about his upbringing in California, his research which examines the ways in which youth in urban communities navigate the constraints of poverty and struggle to create equality and justice in their schools and communities. The centerpiece of our conversation is his book in which he shares "four pivots" that can transform our awareness, encourage real connection between people, create and enhance our vision for the kind of society we want to create, and help us to become more present in our day to day lives and the work we are engaged in.

 Are you ready to pivot? If so, this is the conversation you've been waiting for.

Buy the book

http://www.shawnginwright.com/

Flourish Agenda

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My guest on the podcast this week is mixed media artist Deborah Roberts. In our wide-ranging conversation Deborah and I talk about her amazing work which challenges the notion of ideal beauty and humanizes black children, her own childhood in East Austin, Texas, and how she takes dehumanizing tropes and images of black people and repurposing them as power symbols to inspire self-love in black and brown around the globe. This is a dynamic conversation with an amazing artist and black woman using her gifts to serve others and call attention to some of the most urgent issues of our day.

Deborah Roberts Official website

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My guest today is playwright, composer, lyricist of the 11 time Tony nominated musical A Strange Loop,  Michael R. Jackson. In our conversation, Michael and I chat about his upbringing in a religious family in Detroit, Michigan, his move to New York to pursue his dreams of becoming a writer for soap operas and the journey to finding himself via many trials and more than a few errors. The centerpiece of the conversation is his Tony nominated hit musical A Strange Loop on Broadway and the life experiences that lead him to write the show and find himself in the process.

A Strange Loop tickets

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My guest today is Nigerian-American actor, musician, and producer Olly Sholotan. Olly currently stars as ‘Carlton Banks’ in Peacock and Westbrook’s Bel-Air, the reboot of the classic hit series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In our conversation, Olly and I chat about living his childhood in Nigeria and Houston, Texas, his role as Carlton Banks on Bel-Air, and his passion for writing, producing, and performing music.

We also chat about his experiences with therapy and the similarities and differences between his own teen years and those of the character he plays on Bel-Air.

Olly's IG
Olly's Twitter
Soundcloud

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My guest on the podcast today is Dr. Lena Green a clinical social worker, psychologist, adjunct professor and the Executive Director of HOPE Center Harlem, a groundbreaking free mental health facility created by Rev. Michael A. Walrond Jr. of FCBCNYC.

In our wide ranging conversation Dr. Green and I talk about her life and career, breakdown the myths and stigmas around mental well-being and therapy in communities of color, and MOST IMPORTANTLY we discuss some of the things we can all do to proactively protect our mental health as well as the professionals and platforms available for the diagnosis and treatment of that which ails us.

Despite what one would think when you hear this introduction, this is actually an uplifting conversation designed to give us all hope and to provide awareness of the tools necessary to start our journey to wholeness and healing.

HOPE Center Harlem

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

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My guest on this episode of the podcast is Representative Malcolm Kenyatta. Rep. Kenyatta  is the first openly LGBTQ person of color and one of the youngest members elected to the PA General Assembly. In our wide ranging conversation we talk his childhood in Philadelphia, his relationship with his late Mother,  the issues close to his heart including  creating an equitable and inclusive society, and his campaign for US Senator in Pennsylvania. 

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My guest on the podcast this week is screenwriter, author, and showrunner Rasheed Newson. Rasheed and his writing and producing partner T. J. Brady have worked on The Chi and Narcos among other drama series, and currently serve as the showrunners for the hit series Bel-Air on Peacock which reimagines the classic sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as a drama. Rasheed and I talk about his upbringing in Indiana, the first time he held a boy's hand, finding himself while attending Georgetown University and the journey to his current role as showrunner on the hit series Bel-Air on Peacock!

His first novel "My Government Means to Kill Me" is available for preorder.

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My guest in this season two finale is multitalented and multifaceted artist and performer, Dawnn Lewis. Dawnn is a recipient of the Trumpet Award, a Grammy Award, multiple NAACP Image awards, BMI and ASCAP songwriting awards, and an inductee into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. She is of course a talented and beloved actress and director as well with TV credits that include A Different World, Veronica Mars, Hangin With Mr. Cooper, One Tree Hill, and the FOX series 911 to name a few. She is currently co-starring as Zelma Bullock, Tina Turner’s mother in the hit Broadway musical Tina which is nominated for 12 Tony Awards. 

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My guest on the podcast this week is actor and director Amir Arison. Amir and I chat about his role as Aram on The Blacklist, his love of improv and comedy, the values instilled in him by his parents, and the power of love and the responsibility that comes with having a platform from which he can serve other and make the world a better place to live. This was a heartfelt, emotional, and engaging conversation between two grown men who aren’t afraid to show our sensitivity to others.

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