Shakesha and the White Boy

Editor-in-chief of PLUS Model Magazine Maddy Jones joins the show to discuss how she got her start with the body positivity movement way back in 2006, the keys to learning self acceptance and self love, how opportunities can arise simply from being yourself, and what she believes the ultimate goal of the plus-size movement should be. On WTF, Amazon has its own pro-union employees arrested for delivering food to the break area at the JFK8 warehouse. By listener request, we react to the Super Bowl halftime show, a seemingly seminal moment in getting white America to embrace the individuals who drive Black culture, and discuss if it will have a lasting impact.

Filmmaker Geno Brooks joins the show to discuss his mentorship program, Bear the Torch, which strives to give opportunities to rising, bold voices in the BIPOC community and give them space to hone their craft. Interestingly, the program is geared toward individuals not currently involved in the film industry. We discuss Bear the Torch with Geno, as well as how he overcame creative depression, why simply showing up is so important to success no matter your industry, and more. On WTF, a New York-based teacher is arrested after administering a COVID-19 vaccine to a student despite not being authorized to do so. Shakesha and Ryan play a new game called Lyric Party.

Writer, film director, innovator, and creative Kanithea Powell joins the show. Kanithea is the founder and CEO of QFN TV, a global streaming network set to launch this year and focused on content and creators that are women of color. With Kanithea, we discussed the beauty of ideas, why the words you speak over your life are so important, how most people don’t want to take the time to do the work required for growth, plans for her new network, and a lot more. On WTF, we react to a group of insane Siberians who recently set the record for running in the coldest marathon ever. Shakesha tells Ryan how she wound up working a side gig in a job that didn't even exist two years ago.

Elle Jones, a personal brand consultant, producer, best-selling author, and more, joins the show to discuss how she helps her clients find their singular swagger and channel their personal story into being better artists or professionals. She discusses the main reasons why people stay playing small, the importance of creating space to celebrate yourself, what takes a story from being bland to compelling, and how her own past traumas, including a near-death experience, helped her find her path in life. On WTF, we start off with a conversation about Boris Johnson and the English government drawing harsh criticism for throwing parties during the nation's lockdowns, but wind up going to a different place and giving the WTF to a surprise recipient. Shakesha asks Ryan an important question about their friendship and explains why everyone needs a chef's kiss of a year for 2022.

Trevor Hawkins, the first filmmaker in the history of the world to sell shares of a film via NFTs, joins the show to discuss how he got the idea to turn his movie into a series of non-fungibles and what the SEC had to say about it. We also cover the moral contradictions of playing in the NFT space, how to navigate the area where your creative soul crashes into the brutal reality of life and needing to make money to survive, and how he almost died during the production of his debut feature film "Lotawana." On WTF, we react to the news that Elon Musk's company Neuralink is advancing its efforts to plant computer chips in human brains. Ryan shares a tweet from an old enemy of the show that is related to a story he told on the very first episode of SATWB.

Because listeners enjoyed last year's holiday special, we decided to make it an annual tradition! This year, we have another Mega Version of WTF, where we each share our picks for Top 5 Most WTF Moments of 2021, including oceans on fire, bizarre celebrity relationships, dipshit billionaires, and some of the events that perfectly symbolize just how fucked up the U.S. is right now (and throughout its history). On Art of the Grind, Ryan welcomes independent filmmaker, producer, and SATWB co-host Shakesha Williams. Ryan asks Shakesha about her life as a filmmaker, including the moment she knew she wanted to make movies and TV shows, how she manages so many personalities on set, where she finds the inspiration for her ideas, and some projects she would like to do in the future.

We're discussing a new trend called toxic positivity. What is it? Does it even exist? We go through a list of examples of toxic positivity and vote on whether we think they're actually toxic behaviors or not. In the end, we find that the answer to "what is and isn't toxic positivity?" is a bit more complicated than we thought. On WTF, the Facebook Boomers are at it again, this time with a conspiracy about Joe Biden and a body double, with the key piece of evidence being a photo taken from a 2009 story by The Onion. Shakesha updates the audience on her week in L.A. and we both share some cities that we don't really vibe with.

On this special Halloween-themed episode, we share our thoughts on the supernatural, including whether we think ghosts exist or not, what the afterlife could be like, and personal experiences we've had with the paranormal, including Shakesha's haunted house and a crazy story involving both of Ryan's late grandfathers. On WTF, Shakesha shares a U.S. Pentagon report on an encounter with an extraterrestrial. We discuss if we believe aliens are real or not, and if they are, how we think they would approach interacting with humans. We both share our favorite horror film and Halloween costume ever. 

Non-binary poet, writer, and visual artist Joanna C. Valente joins the show to discuss the journey they took to becoming an artist, why the rhythmic and dramatic qualities of poetry make it the perfect medium for them, and how being vulnerable and authentic in their work has helped people close to them learn to better accept their Queerness. On WTF, "he who shall not be named" makes a return appearance as the hosts discuss his absurd new social media platform, TRUTH Social, which failed in record time. Shakesha asks Ryan for a funny bad date story and shares one of her own. Find more of Joanna's work at www.joannavalente.com.

Shakesha shares some of the things that she went through when she and her family experienced homelessness for a period during the 2010s. The hosts also look at some of the data around homelessness in the U.S. and offer listeners some ideas about how they can help the situation in their area. On WTF, a male Karen goes looking for the smoke from a group of landscapers working at a neighbor's house and immediately regrets his decision. And in an exciting development, a short film co-written and produced by Shakesha picks up some new distribution. This episode features discussions about depression. If you or anyone you know is dealing with depression or thoughts of suicide, help is available by calling 1-800-273-8255.