Emmy nominated and executive producer of movies and television shows  like "A Match Made In Heaven," "Call Me Zaddy," "False Advertisement," and "Sorry About That," Lena Jenkins-Smith doesn't give a lot of interviews.  She is more comfortable being behind the camera, managing a team of creatives, to produce non-traditional content  -  films different from typical Hollywood stories.  She has been in the game for more than 20 years, having got her big break working for renowned comedian Katt Williams, whom she still does some production work.  She would say it started from being at the bottom, but now, she leads her own production company Goldstrand Media with business partner Jonathan Williams.  

Coming from behind the camera, Lena sits down for a conversation on this episode of The Offshoot Podcast.  From her beginnings as an extra in the classic John Singleton film "Poetic Justice," to her leadership role as a entrepreneur, motherhood, and producer, Lena has taking many pivots in her career but has stayed on the path - through the ups and downs.  She is still learning and growing, and with that she is bringing young people along with her.  In her conversation with The Offshoot, Lena speaks truthfully about the disappointments, the euphoria, the challenges, and her faith.

Dating isn't what it used to be - at least not prior to the advent of social media and reality TV dating shows.  It seems that in today's world of dating, there is an over emphasis on romance, which is not always a bad thing, when it is genuine, but it is certainly not a good thing when it is expected to be what is seen in the fictional world of motion pictures.  On this episode of The Offshoot, the discussion is about the fantasies surrounding dating in a time of heavy social media use and false realities.

Baltimore, that once thriving industrial city caught between the nation's capitol of Washington, D.C. and the city of brotherly love Philadelphia, is again making noise with music.  A new form a house music and club music, that is unique to Baltimore, is drawing dancers and club goers to the city, and the musicians behind it all are now taking their creations to wider audiences globally.  DJ and producer S.DOT is among the artists bringing attention to Baltimore's new and growing music scene, and he is on this episode of The Offshoot Podcast to talk about his music and what's happening musically in Baltimore. 

The Baltimore house and club music sound had been in the city for years but it was considered, somewhat, underground.  One still has to be in the know to get into the best clubs to dance and sweat or just vibe to the music, and S.DOT has a plethora of tracks befitting any mood down for a good time.  On The Offshoot Podcast, S.DOT talks of the vibrancy of house music and club music in Baltimore, and he talks about talking influence from Chicago house and AfroBeats to create a Baltimore House sound that is infectious and damn right good to listen to.  

S.DOT is about to go on tour, which means he can be seen and heard:
May 2 at 1722 in Baltimore
May 3 at 618 Cocktail & Whiskey Lounge in Washington, DC
May 10 at 1835 W Oxford Philadelphia 
May 17 at Pianos in New York City 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DItbZJDs4cs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ruvWpLs2aMVuibVXpsJwL?si=TQDvPcIcSEmYgymRETdIKQ

https://sdotmusic1.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/sdotmusik/tracks

Not forgiving someone for a wrong is never discussed as often as forgiving someone for a wrong.  The mantra is to forgive and move on, but what if not forgiving someone who has perpetrated an act of betrayal, violence, broken trust or theft , which could lead to triggers or trauma, is healing?  What if it is not? 

On this episode of The Offshoot Podcast, Dr. Yve Michaels flips the script and has me, the host, on her couch, as we talk about not forgiving versus forgiving as part of process toward healing from triggers, trauma and other emotional pains.  Whether the pain came upon you from family, friends, co-workers, or the church, not forgiving can be easy but it is not the path to healing, according to Dr. Michaels. But, why do we sometimes feel that not forgiving is ideal?  Listen to Dr. Michaels, and she will tell you not forgiving has nothing to do with the other person but rather forgiveness is solely about you.

On this episode of The Offshoot Podcast, three incredible chefs define what makes food good, and it turns out good food is more than just about taste.  Chef Sherise, the owner of Sweet Sage Catering, Chef Steven Steven German-Jones the co-owner of Palate202 Catering, and Chef Maine, the owner of The Maine Course, define what is good food by telling stories about their grandmothers' cooking, the family connections, the history of Black food, and rising costs to prepares dishes like collard greens and oxtails. 

Food can be basic or it can be a memorable meal.  It can be an expensive cuisine of unique marinades and sauces or it can be a very satisfying grub that warms the soul.  But in both cases, and everything in between, food can be good, and according to all three chefs, food should be good. Not all mac & cheese is the same, so what makes one version of the iconic dish more good than the other?  Watch and listen to what Chef Sherise, Chef Steven and Chef Maine have to say about what makes food good on this episode of The Offshoot. 

To cater your next soiree, dinner party or brunch contact any of these fabulous chefs at:

Chef Sherise of Sweet Sage Catering, www.sweetsagecatering.com, on Instagram at Sweetsagellc

Chef Steven of Palate202 Catering, [email protected], www.palate202catering.com, on Instagram at palate_202

Chef Maine of The Maine Course, www.themainecourse.com, on Instagram at _maine_course

I am going to venture and bet that there are many of us who went through the public education system, and perhaps throughout college and grad school, did not have many, if any, Black men as educators.  I would venture and add that for those individuals that attended private schools, there were not many Black men educators in their classrooms either. The lack of Black men in the classroom, direct correlation or not, seems to have impact on many youth in schools today.  The impact seems to hit harder when it comes to young, Black boys. 

Why are there so few Black men in education at every level of education?  On this episode of The Offshoot Podcast, posed that question to two Black men who had professions in education, but chose to leave for different reasons.  Their decision was despite the acknowledgement that Black men are needed in the classroom.  The education profession, to hear my guests talk, had become unsafe, high demand, and low in compensation.  But they offer solutions.  Take a listen to this episode of The Offshoot Podcast.

For young Black men, their voices are not often heard, and often times if their voices are head it is typically a soundbite, misconstrued and/or taken out of context.  Additionally, their voices seem to not matter unless it is via music (particularly Hip Hop),  and sports, and even via music and sports, their voices are often dismissed as being irrelevant or less important because they are Black and young.  Why is that? Why is that the given despite their small size in number that much of what everyday people debate in this political climate has some lineage back to Black men - especially young Black men.

On this episode of The Offshoot Podcast, three young Black men join me in a discussion about the state of The United States of America from their perspectives.  Between the three of them there is agreement and disagreement on Black history, the economy, Black families, education, international conflicts, and the current president of The United States of America.  They challenge and correct each other and they support and give solidarity to one another.  It's a dynamic very common in the Black community but seldom ever featured in mainstream media in any format, hence the importance of this episode of The Offshoot Podcast.

Are you Black Indian? Well, if you're from South Carolina and you have Gullah Geechee roots, then there is a likely possibility that you are Black Indian - from a tribe called the Yamassee.  Though small in number today, in the 1600s and 1700s, the Yamassee Tribe was a force of nature. The tribe battled perpetrators on their land, now known as The United States of America, specifically South Carolina, and they fought to protect and help all people, particularly the Gullah Geechee peoples of South Carolina.  The Yamassee War of 1715-1717 was a major conflict between the Yamassee and the British, which led to the deaths of thousands.  These were my people. 

My grandmother told her children that she, they, we are Gullah Geechee and Black Indian. My research has confirmed this.  The lineage is very long - the history, which was passed down orally, is now being talked about and written.  But that history wasn't and isn't taught in schools, and it is up to those of us who know our identity to educate others.  The Gullah Geechee people and the Yamassee Black Indians have history that pre-dates the formation of The United States of America.  The history cannot be erased and will not be forgotten.

The president of the United States of America, in a recent press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accused the visiting diplomat of wanting a third world war.  Zelenskyy rejected that notion, and his disbelief of the comment was self-evident given his response - his faced looked of shock.  The behavior from the American president was unbecoming of any world leader, but what the behavior exposed was the American president's call for World War III by using a tactic called Accusation In A Mirror. 

Accusation in a mirror is defined as a false claim that accuses the target of something that the perpetrator is doing or intends to do. It's kind of like a preemptive accusation. It's a way to start a war and try to place blame on the target.  In this case, the American president falsely accused the Ukrainian president of wanting a war.  When a war starts, he'll blame Ukraine with hope that the general population will support his efforts to end the war when in fact the goal is to profit from it - monetarily and geographically. This tactic isn't new for the American president. His strategy has always been to accuse others of what he is doing and plans to do.  But this is dangerous. This could mean the deaths of millions of people worldwide.  War could come to American soil.

The brief interruption of access to TikTok prompted many Americans to find alternatives like RedNote, and what Americans found were images of China they had never seen before. Not surprising to me, they were shocked as to how developed the country has become - especially compared to the United States of America.  Then it got me thinking, why were people so shocked?  Then I realized it's because most Americans have never traveled outside the country.  And in thinking further, it led me to conclude that people's lack of knowledge about countries outside their own can be directly correlated to their politics - particularly when it comes to international issues.  The brief banning of TikTok got people to see that America isn't as above par compared to other counties as believed.  Perhaps if Americans traveled more they would gain a different perspective about political issues and thereby change their politics.  Perhaps that's why some political imps want to keep Americans from expanding their knowledge.