If Part 1 was the highlight reel, Part 2 is where we get to the heart of it.

We dig into Mookie's concept of "heartlosophy",  the idea that love isn't just a feeling, it's an action, and what happens when you build your whole life around that. He reflects on his lowest lows and highest highs and why having nothing sometimes feels like everything looking back.

Then we get into his late mother Linda, a classically trained cellist and child prodigy who walked away from wealth and privilege to love on her own terms. She's the soul behind his brand new #1 book A Mother's Love, and honestly, the reason so much of who Mookie is just makes sense.

This one will make you think, make you laugh, and maybe make you call your mom.

📚 A Mother's Love is available NOW

In this episode of The Charleston Chicks, we sit down with Jonathan "Mookie" Morant- Charleston musician, songwriter, producer, and now five time author, on the day his newest book hits #1.

Mookie takes us behind the scenes of a remarkable life: from crashing Maurice Starr's birthday party (and somehow still landing his first music industry break), to working alongside the Backstreet Boys and Will Smith, to coming home to Charleston and building something even more meaningful.

In this episode, we discuss:

Whether you're a music lover, a parent, or just someone who needs a reminder that heart beats hustle, this conversation will stay with you.

His book, A Mother's Love is available now.

In this powerful episode of The Charleston Chicks, we sit down with Megan Manigault, a 2026 TEDx Charleston speaker, survivor leader, and Executive Director of I AM Voices, a local nonprofit providing housing and long-term support services to survivors of sexual violence and trafficking in the tri-county area.

Megan opens up about her deeply personal journey from survivor to systems builder, sharing how becoming a mother sparked a mission she never expected, one that started with honest conversations around her kitchen table and grew into two safe houses and a community that continues long after survivors graduate the program.

In this episode, we discuss:

Whether you're a survivor, know someone who is, or simply want to be a better ally in your community, this conversation will move you to action.

Support I AM Voices: iamvoices.org Catch Megan live at TEDx Charleston on April 29th

What if your hardest moments weren't punishment - but preparation?

In this episode of The Charleston Chicks, we sit down with Kevin Waits: retired police chief, FBI National Academy graduate, author of Favorite: From Last to First, and TEDx Charleston speaker. Kevin grew up climbing 14 flights of stairs in a Harlem housing project with chronic asthma and metal leg braces, and went on to lead a police department and train with law enforcement executives from around the world.

He shares the heartbreaking loss that finally pushed him to the TEDx stage, the mindset shift that changed everything, and why he spent decades playing life not to lose instead of playing to win.

A conversation you won't want to miss.

🎙️ Subscribe and join us at TEDx Charleston!

What if your body could heal itself, not with drugs, but with its own cells?

In this fascinating conversation, we sit down with Dr. Leonardo Ferreira, immunologist and assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina's Hollings Cancer Center, ahead of his 2026 TEDx Charleston talk.

Originally from Portugal, Dr. Ferreira earned his PhD at Harvard, completed a postdoctoral fellowship in San Francisco, and has spent the last five years in Charleston pioneering a potential cure for Type 1 diabetes, one that uses stem-cell-derived beta cells and genetically engineered immune "bodyguard" cells to protect them. Think of it as a molecular handshake between the cells that make insulin and the cells that keep them safe.

In this episode, we cover:

🗓️ Catch him live at TEDx Charleston on April 29th

What if the way we introduce AI to the next generation determines the future of humanity itself?

In this episode, we sit down with JT White, TEDx Charleston 2026 speaker, AI veteran of over a decade, and father of two, to talk about one of the most urgent questions facing parents and educators right now: how do we hand our kids this technology without losing them to it?

JT shares how a career built on happy accidents, including accidentally selling his first company at 16 to Sony which led him to a simple but powerful conviction: AI should happen for us, not to us. And right now, we're at a tipping point.

In this episode:

Catch JT on the TEDx Charleston stage on April 29th, and grab his book Build for Better wherever books are sold.

What if your body has been trying to tell its story all along, and art is the only language it knows?

In this episode, we talk with Lexi Morgan, TEDx Charleston speaker, PhD level art therapist, and founder of Haven Healing, to talk about how art gives the body a voice - and why that matters deeply for trauma recovery.

Lexi shares how growing up in a domestic violence situation led her to discover art as survival, how a chance encounter with an art therapist her senior year of college changed everything, and why she's now taking that message to the TEDx stage on April 29th.

In this episode:

New to art therapy or curious about trauma healing? This one's for you, tell us what creative outlets have helped you process and heal.

Follow Lexi at @haven_healing_art_therapy to learn more.

What if the key to understanding our divided world has been inside us for millions of years?

In this episode, we sit down with Andie, TEDx Charleston speaker and the woman behind the Instagram account Ancestral Habits, to talk about the ancient, hardwired behaviors that connect every human alive today, and why that science matters more than ever right now.

Andie shares how a lifelong passion for anthropology and evolutionary biology led her to one powerful conclusion: we are far more alike than we are different. From the way we soothe loved ones with a single touch to why our eyes evolved so we could truly see each other, she's bringing this message to the TEDx stage on April 29th.

In this episode:

Nerd out with us — and follow Andie at @ancestral_habits for more

What if the secret to better postpartum recovery has been around for 2,000 years?

In this episode, we sit down with Guang Ming Whitley, TEDx Charleston speaker, mom of four, and author of the first English language guide to Chinese postpartum recovery, to talk about Zuo Yuezi, an ancient tradition she believes could transform how American women heal after birth.

Guang shares how her mother's postpartum struggles shaped her fear of having children, how this practice left her nourished and free of the baby blues, and why she's taking this message to the TEDx stage. 

In this episode:

New moms, this one's for you — tell us what postpartum support looked like for you.

What does abuse really look like and why do so many people stay silent?

In this powerful episode, Lisa Nicole and Melanie sit down with TEDx speaker, confidence coach, and domestic violence advocate Brenna Lawrence to hear her raw, unfiltered story of surviving a decade-long abusive relationship. From the first punch at 17 to sleeping on the floor to avoid waking her abuser, Brenna shares what it truly felt like from the inside and what finally gave her the strength to walk away.

Brenna opens up about the shame and silence that kept her trapped, the moment she realized she was "part of the problem," and how one simple sentence from someone could have changed everything.

This episode covers:

1 in 3 women will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime. This conversation is for survivors, for bystanders, and for anyone who wants to know how to actually help.

🔗 Connect with Brenna:

VP Business Development at Brown & Brown | TEDx + DisruptHR Speaker | Confidence Coach | Podcast Host|

Brenna is an award-winning business development professional, keynote speaker, confidence coach, and the host of Hey! Hold That Door! podcast. In a male-dominated industry, she’s built a career by leading with authenticity, telling the truth out loud and choosing collaboration over competition. A Girls’ Girl- she’s helping women ditch doubt, own their power and lead like they mean it. She’s also reminding them to hold the door for the next woman coming in behind them!

Instagram Hey! Hold That Door!

Brenna Lawrence TEDx

Spotify  Hey! Hold That Door!

My Sister's House