What does it really take to survive and thrive when the system is stacked against you? This week, I’m talking with Dr. Gena V, a force of nature whose life is a testament to persistence and purpose. From being forced out of her all-Black high school in the 1970s, to becoming a teenage mother, to earning her doctorate and publishing 14 books, she has kept going, with dignity, clarity and fight. Her story will remind you that survival isn’t just about getting through, it’s about making meaning out of what tried to break you.

This week's song, Life Will Be by Cleo Sol, feels as if it was written for specifically for Dr. Gena V.