Stories That Stay

In this episode of Stories That Stay, hosts Shamm H. Petros and Dwight Dunston sit down with Inua Ellams—poet, playwright, performer, and creative force—to explore the first edges of difference and the lifelong echoes of separation.

At age four, Inua and his twin sister were placed in different classrooms. What began as a child’s tantrum became an early lesson in loss, identity, and independence. Through mindful reflection and somatic awareness, Inua revisits that moment and traces how it shaped his art, his sense of belonging, and his navigation of a world marked by migration and disconnection.

Together, they explore masculinity, vulnerability, and the tension between feeling and intellect. Inua speaks candidly about the cost of noticing, the burden of creation, and the fear that our hyper-connected world is losing touch with emotion itself.

“Sometimes I wonder if being a poet helps or hinders the process.”
 “The memory prepared me for the journeys I had to take—to become an immigrant, to survive.”

What you’ll hear
• Grounding breath and mindful arrival
• Earliest memories of difference
• Naming and scaling emotions
• Connection between trauma and creativity
• Closing reflections on fear, faith, and artistic survival

About Inua Ellams
Born in Jos, Nigeria, and raised in the UK and Ireland, Inua Ellams is a poet, playwright, screenwriter, and graphic artist. His acclaimed works include Barbershop Chronicles, Three Sisters, and The Half-God of Rainfall. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and recipient of an MBE for services to the arts, Inua continues to create across disciplines, blending cultures, mythologies, and modern identities. https://www.inuaellams.com

Mentioned resources
• The Half-God of Rainfall – play and publication info: https://wilmatheater.org/blog/dramaturgy-the-half-god-of-rainfall/ 
• Barbershop Chronicles – National Theatre live recording and script: https://shop.nationaltheatre.org.uk/products/barbershop-chronicles
• My Name Is Why by Lemn Sissay – a memoir of identity and belonging referenced in Inua’s work.

Stories That Stay is a project of Lion’s Story, a nonprofit dedicated to building racial literacy through storytelling, mindfulness, and healing. Rooted in over 35 years of research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania, our work guides individuals and institutions to reclaim their stories, reduce identity-based stress, and step into authentic inclusion—not as a checklist, but as a way of being.

For a full video version of this podcast, visit our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesThatStayPodcast

Produced and edited by Peterson Toscano.
Mindful moment music by Dwight Dunston.
Music by Epidemic Sound.

Podcast site: StoriesThatStay.net

 Hosts: Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston

In this episode of Stories That Stay, hosts Shamm H. Petros and Dwight Dunston talk with musician and producer Merrill Garbus, the creative force behind Tune-Yards. Together they explore how early memories of difference—body, race, and class—shape our sense of belonging and the lifelong practice of racial literacy.

Through honest reflection, Merrill names feelings of fear, avoidance, gratitude, grief, and curiosity, and locates where they live in her body. With Shamm and Dwight’s guidance, she practices staying with discomfort, noticing dissociation, and finding compassion in the act of awareness.

Their conversation moves through generational stories, inherited fear, and the daily discipline of return. Merrill speaks about creative practice as a form of survival and the courage to keep working even when hope feels elusive.

          “What if I don’t need hope? I need wonder and a will to live.”
          “I want to keep the story as it is—that’s the helpful information.”

What you’ll hear
• Grounding breath and mindful arrival
• Earliest memories of difference
• Naming and scaling emotions
• Somatic awareness and ancestral connection
• Closing reflections on practice, compassion, and wonder

About Merrill Garbus
Merrill Garbus is a musician, composer, and producer best known for the experimental pop project Tune-Yards. She has collaborated with Mavis Staples, Yoko Ono, Laurie Anderson, and filmmaker Boots Riley. Living in Oakland, California, Merrill continues to create music and community rooted in curiosity, accountability, and the ongoing practice of growth.

Mentioned resources

•  My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem — somatic practices for racialized trauma: https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/55183932-my-grandmother-s-hands
•  Tune-Yards Official Site: https://tune-yards.com/

Stories That Stay is a project of Lion’s Story, a nonprofit dedicated to building racial literacy through storytelling, mindfulness, and healing. Rooted in over 35 years of research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania, our work guides individuals and institutions to reclaim their stories, reduce identity-based stress, and step into authentic inclusion—not as a checklist, but as a way of being.

For a full video version of this podcast, visit our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesThatStayPodcast

Produced and edited by Peterson Toscano.
Mindful moment music by Dwight Dunston.
Music by Epidemic Sound.

Podcast site: StoriesThatStay.net

 Hosts: Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston

In this episode of Stories That Say, hosts Shamm H Petros and Dwight Dunston engage with Emmy-winning filmmaker Osahan Tongo, exploring the intersection of identity, storytelling, and emotional healing. The conversation delves into Tongo's early memories of difference, the role of family in shaping identity, and the impact of food and care in relationships. 

Osahon Tongo traces an early memory—“French toast at daycare”—into a present-day meditation on love, parenting, food as care, and what it means to see “tears in the cape” of a parent.  Osahon also reflects on family, migration, and stepping into responsibility as elders age. 

About Osahon Tongo

Osahon Tongo is an Emmy Award–winning filmmaker and writer whose work blends poetry, image, and movement. His storytelling spans NFL360 documentaries—including "The Chief Who Walked the Sea," "The Flyest Ever," and "The Indelible Legacy of Jimmy Raye"—to feature film projects like "They Cloned Tyrone," where he served as second-unit director on the satirical fried chicken sequence. A first-generation Nigerian American, Osahon draws inspiration from themes of migration, family, faith, and everyday acts of resilience. His films have screened nationally and internationally, and he continues to push the art of storytelling as a way to heal, connect, and reimagine what is possible.

Key quotes from Osahon Tongo

• “Every slight tear in his cape rocks me a little bit.” 
• “I used to think love was a feeling, something that happened to me. But now I realize love is a decision I make, over and over again—especially in the moments when it feels hardest to give. That’s where I’ve grown the most, in choosing love even when it’s uncomfortable.”

Resources & links

Osahon’s website: https://www.osahontongo.com/

NFL360 — The Chief Who Walked the Sea: https://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-360-the-chief-who-walked-the-sea

NFL360 — The Flyest Ever: https://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-360-the-flyest-ever

NFL360 — The Indelible Legacy of Jimmy Raye (stream): https://tubitv.com/tv-shows/200001509/s2022-e06-the-indelible-legacy-of-jimmy-raye

They Cloned Tyrone (2nd unit—satirical chicken spot): https://www.osahontongo.com/they-cloned-tyrone

Try box breathing (how-to): https://health.clevelandclinic.org/box-breathing-benefits

Stories That Stay is a project of Lion’s Story, a nonprofit dedicated to building racial literacy through storytelling, mindfulness, and healing. Rooted in over 35 years of research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania, our work guides individuals and institutions to reclaim their stories, reduce identity-based stress, and step into authentic inclusion—not as a checklist, but as a way of being.

For a full video version of this podcast, visit our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesThatStayPodcast

Produced and edited by Peterson Toscano.
Mindful moment music by Dwight Dunston.
Music by Epidemic Sound.

Podcast site: StoriesThatStay.net

 Hosts: Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston

In this powerful premiere of Stories That Stay, co-hosts Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston converse with Lisa Nelson-Haynes—Executive Director of Lion’s Story and former Chief Programs Officer at StoryCorps—about a childhood memory that shaped her identity and her career. Lisa revisits a vivid moment when her father confronted racial disrespect, exploring how that act of love, protection, and trauma informed her journey. Their conversation weaves storytelling, emotion, and mindful reflection, illustrating how early experiences continue to inform our work toward healing and justice.

Guest Bio: Lisa Nelson-Haynes

Lisa Nelson-Haynes leads Lion’s Story with decades of experience as a digital storytelling facilitator and nonprofit strategist. Before joining Lion’s Story, Lisa served as the Chief Programs Officer at StoryCorps, overseeing programs in interview collection, learning and engagement, recording and archiving, and research and evaluation. She previously served as Executive Director of Philadelphia Young Playwrights (PYP), where she centered youth storytelling as a tool for social change. Lisa’s storytelling roots run deep: she has built award-winning workshops and podcasts, including PYP’s podcast Mouthful, and facilitated digital storytelling programs for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, Drexel University’s Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice, and others.

Host Bios

• Shamm Petros, Senior Director of Learning & Development at Lion’s Story, brings training grounded in the organization’s 35+ years of racial literacy research and a story-forward approach to racial healing
  
  
• Dwight Dunston, a mindfulness practitioner and storyteller, provides the emotional grounding and reflective prompts that model racial stress processing through the body.

Featured Quotes

“Even at four years old, I knew that man had crossed a line.”

“As I’ve grown older, I see my father’s actions as love, protection, and the weight he carried every day.”

What This Episode Offers

This episode lays the foundation for Stories That Stay, introducing listeners to Lion’s Story’s core approach—storytelling as a pathway to racial literacy, healing, and authentic inclusion. It demonstrates:

• How early memory anchors identity and influence.
• The integration of emotional awareness, mindful reflection, and storytelling as tools for navigating racial stress.
• The lived leadership of a storyteller who has shaped nonprofit, creative, and civic spaces for equitable dialogue.
  
  

Stories That Stay is a project of Lion’s Story, a nonprofit dedicated to building racial literacy through storytelling, mindfulness, and healing. Rooted in over 35 years of research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania, our work guides individuals and institutions to reclaim their stories, reduce identity-based stress, and step into authentic inclusion—not as a checklist, but as a way of being.

For a full video version of this podcast, visit our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesThatStayPodcast

Produced and edited by Peterson Toscano.
Mindful moment music by Dwight Dunston.
Music by Epidemic Sound.

Podcast site: StoriesThatStay.net

 Hosts: Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston

Stories That Stay is a podcast where healing happens at the intersection of art, science, and storytelling. Hosted by therapist and strategist Shamm Petros and educator and artist Dwight Dunston, the show blends personal storytelling with mindfulness practices and over 35 years of racial literacy research from Lion’s Story.

Each episode begins with the question: What is your earliest memory of race or difference? Guests—artists, educators, leaders, and everyday people—share moments that shaped their lives. Together, we explore how these stories of identity reveal paths toward resilience, growth, and transformation.

Whether you’re an educator, organizer, or simply curious about how stories shape us, Stories That Stay offers tools to help you navigate identity and difference with courage, competence, and compassion.

Stories That Stay is a project of Lion’s Story, a nonprofit dedicated to building racial literacy through storytelling, mindfulness, and healing. Rooted in over 35 years of research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania, our work guides individuals and institutions to reclaim their stories, reduce identity-based stress, and step into authentic inclusion—not as a checklist, but as a way of being.

For a full video version of this podcast, visit our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesThatStayPodcast

Produced and edited by Peterson Toscano.
Mindful moment music by Dwight Dunston.
Music by Epidemic Sound.

Podcast site: StoriesThatStay.net

 Hosts: Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston