The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille Weekes

By Dana Tenille Weekes

The Rest of Us podcast explores rest as self-liberation for advocates and professionals who are losing themselves to the demands of work, loved ones, friends, strangers, and this dizzying world. Th

... more

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille Weekes:

How many episodes does The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille Weekes have?

The podcast currently has 50 episodes available.

The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille Weekes episodes:

September 21, 2026Poetic Interlude - Benin Lemus reading "The Fifth City"
What are the qualities, obvious and subtle, that show up for you?
This Poetic Interlude features Benin Lemus and also celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Torch Literary Arts, an organization established to publish and promote creative writing by Black women.
In this Poetic Interlude, Benin Lemus, a Torch Feature and known poet in the Torch community, reads “The Fifth City,” first published by the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles, as part of their Cultural Trailblazers 2026 artist recognition.
Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest.
Settle into the work of Benin Lemus and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.

ABOUT BENIN
Benin Lemus (she/her) is a Los Angeles-based poet, librarian, and educator. Her 2022 debut poetry collection, Dreaming in Mourning, was published by World Stage Press. She was an Inaugural Workshop Fellow with Obsidian Magazine’s O|Sessions: Black Listening—A Performance Master Class, a Pushcart Prize nominee, and received Honorable Mention in the 2022 Furious Flower Poetry Center’s annual competition. Her work has appeared in numerous literary journals, including Callaloo, Consequence, and TORCH Literary Arts Magazine, among others. In 2024, Benin served as the poetry judge for AWP’s Intro Journals Project. She teaches poetry in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.

Say “hello” to Benin on Instagram @beninlemus_poet.
Visit Benin’s website to learn more about her and Dreaming in Mourning, and Torch’s website to learn more about this phenomenal organization and how to get involved or donate.
You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Benin’s poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community.

PODCAST TEAM
Host, Dana Tenille Weekes
Producer, Annabelle Oh
Editor, Sagheer Muhammad
If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.
🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)
Until next time, rest, my friends.
Connect with Us
Website:
www.therestofuspodcast.com
Instagram:
@therestofus.podcast
@danatenilleweekes
Substack:
@therestofuspodcast
LinkedIn:
Dana Tenille Weekes
...more
7min
September 21, 2026Poetic Interlude - Amanda Johnston reading "For Loud Women Like Me"
How do you find honey in the marrow of the night and pass the cup around?
This Poetic Interlude features Amanda Johnston and also celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Torch Literary Arts, an organization established to publish and promote creative writing by Black women.
In this Poetic Interlude, Amanda Johnston, Founder of Torch, reads her poem “For Loud Women Like Me,” first published in Callaloo Volume 41 Issue 1.
Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest.
Settle into the work of Amanda Johnston and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.
ABOUT AMANDA
Amanda Johnston is a writer, visual artist, and the 61st Poet Laureate of Texas. She is the author of Another Way to Say Enter and editor of the anthology Praisesong for the People: Poems from the Heart and Soul of Texas. Her work has appeared in numerous online and print publications, among them Callaloo, Poetry Magazine, The Moth, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. She has received fellowships, grants, and awards from Cave Canem, The Watermill Center, Academy of American Poets, among others. She is a former Board President of the Cave Canem Foundation and the founder of Torch Literary Arts.

Say “hello” to Amanda on Instagram @poetamandajohnston.
Visit Amanda’s website to learn more about her and Praisesong for the People: Poems from the Heart and Soul of Texas, and Torch’s website to learn more about this phenomenal organization and how to get involved or donate.
You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Amanda's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community.

PODCAST TEAM
Host, Dana Tenille Weekes
Producer, Annabelle Oh
Editor, Sagheer Muhammad
If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.
🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)
Until next time, rest, my friends.
Connect with Us
Website:
www.therestofuspodcast.com
Instagram:
@therestofus.podcast
@danatenilleweekes
Substack:
@therestofuspodcast
LinkedIn:
Dana Tenille Weekes
...more
6min
September 21, 2026Ep. 33: Systems Won't Save You, So Know When to Leave
Have you felt you’ve met milestones in your life that, as a child, people implied were supposed to be mountaintops, but they aren't? If you’re not saying, “No,” then this episode is for you.
In this episode of The Rest of Us, host Dana Tenille Weekes asks three questions for listeners who have a choice to no longer succeed without surviving, which she calls thriving. She poses these questions to help you determine whether you’re in a system you must leave, rather than pretending it is working for you while you're in unbearable exhaustion.
Dana curated this episode to remind listeners that they are likely relying on too many institutions and society-sourced systems (on which our workplaces are built) to define their worth.
And for listeners who have the choice to succeed without surviving, Dana challenges them with reflection questions to start honest conversations with themselves. Because, as she says, if you’re waiting for the system to validate or save you, it won’t.

WHAT YOU’LL SETTLE INTO
How systems prioritize your brand over your personhood.
How systems use productivity as a proxy for accountability.
How resilience can be a coded word for accommodation.
Three reflection prompts to foster an honest conversation with yourself about whether you’re in a system that requires you to survive or thrive.

KEY QUOTES & INSIGHTS
“Systems and institutions will always have clear plans — strategies, metrics, and sufficient resources — for what they prioritize and want to invest in. So if there is an absence of such, the question is: what absence is constantly hindering your growth and advancement?”
“What we are seeing is that leadership is defined by profits and performative metrics, rather than true problem-solving. And the result is that these leaders can lead without accountability, because they treat productivity as the same thing. It's not.”
“Some organizations are asking you to be resilient to problems they create and don’t want to solve.”

PODCAST TEAM
Host, Dana Tenille Weekes
Editor, Sagheer Muhammad
If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.
🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)
Until next time, rest, my friends.
Connect with Us
Website:
www.therestofuspodcast.com
Instagram:
@therestofus.podcast
@danatenilleweekes
Substack:
@therestofuspodcast
LinkedIn:
Dana Tenille Weekes
...more
26min
September 07, 2026Poetic Interlude - Mary McAfoose reading "Just because you can"
What do you want to do with your life that has been given breath?
In this Poetic Interlude, Mary McAfoose reads her poem “Just because you can.”
Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest.
Settle into the work of Mary McAfoose and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.

ABOUT MARY
Mary McAfoose (she/her) is a poet based in Seattle, on land of the Duwamish. She is obsessed with making poetry relatable and accessible and seeks to further connect people with each other (and themselves) through writing. She is a member of Common Area Maintenance (CAM)’s writing leadership team, dedicated to cultivating a creative community in Seattle. Her poems have been published in Room, Prosetrics, Ink in Thirds, and elsewhere. Mary holds an electrical engineering degree, and when not working corporate tech jobs, she enjoys writing dangerous truths, reading, and playing video games.
Say “hello” to Mary on Instagram @moose_a_foose.
You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Mary's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community.

PODCAST TEAM
Host, Dana Tenille Weekes
Producer, Annabelle Oh
If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.
🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)
Until next time, rest, my friends.
Connect with Us
Website:
www.therestofuspodcast.com
Instagram:
@therestofus.podcast
@danatenilleweekes
Substack:
@therestofuspodcast
LinkedIn:
Dana Tenille Weekes
...more
6min
September 07, 2026Poetic Interlude - Rosa Castellano reading "A GIRL THE COLOR OF A CRACKED WINDSHIELD WAITS WITH HER SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN A TUB—"
Think of a time when you wanted or needed to disappear into the waiting, to collapse time, and in the “genderless dark,” dream. What do you become?
In this Poetic Interlude, Rosa Castellano reads her poem “A GIRL THE COLOR OF A CRACKED WINDSHIELD WAITS WITH HER SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN A TUB—” from her debut poetry collection All Is The Telling.
Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest.
Settle into the work of Rosa Castellano and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.

ABOUT ROSA
Newly appointed Poet Laureate of Richmond, VA, Rosa Castellano is the Literary Arts Director for Sundress Publications and co-founder of RVA Poetry Fest. Her writing appears in Poetry Northwest, Guernica, Bomb, Write or Die, and Lit Hub, among others. Her debut poetry collection, All is the Telling, is available now from Diode Editions. Originally from Tampa, FL, she happily calls Richmond, VA home.
Say “hello” to Rosa on Instagram @hornsbyrk.
You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Rosa's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community.

PODCAST TEAM
Host, Dana Tenille Weekes
Producer, Annabelle Oh
Editor, Sagheer Muhammad
Content Manager, Annabelle Oh
If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.
🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)
Until next time, rest, my friends.
Connect with Us
Website:
www.therestofuspodcast.com
Instagram:
@therestofus.podcast
@danatenilleweekes
Substack:
@therestofuspodcast
LinkedIn:
Dana Tenille Weekes
...more
6min
September 07, 2026Ep. 32: What is Familiar to You Isn't Serving You
When your good is right in front of you, do you see it as a threat?
In this episode of The Rest of Us, host Dana Tenille Weekes explores how the word “familiar” shapes our mindset, likening it to carbon dioxide.
Dana takes us through a three-part reflection exercise to understand how what is familiar may be a built-up tolerance for a life you were never meant to live. This episode follows “A Love Letter to Your Possibilities,” where Dana encourages listeners to come back to themselves without settling into the familiar parts.
Do you fear letting go of decisions, practices, or actions you know do not serve you? Does the unknown constantly feel riskier simply because it is unfamiliar? Well, then, this episode is for you.

PODCAST TEAM
Host, Dana Tenille Weekes
Editor, Sagheer Muhammad
If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.
🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)
Until next time, rest, my friends.
Connect with Us
Website:
www.therestofuspodcast.com
Instagram:
@therestofus.podcast
@danatenilleweekes
Substack:
@therestofuspodcast
LinkedIn:
Dana Tenille Weekes
...more
18min
August 24, 2026Poetic Interlude - Elizabeth Spenst reading "I Am"
Who are you and the people you come from? In this Poetic Interlude, Elizabeth Spenst reads her poem “I Am.”
Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest.
Settle into the work of Elizabeth Spenst and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.

ABOUT ELIZABETH
Elizabeth Spenst is a poet with work appearing in Rattle, On the Seawall, The Ekphrastic Review, and elsewhere. A child of Trinidadian and Mennonite Diasporas, she’s currently at home in Brooklyn, NY.
Say “hello” to Elizabeth on Instagram @afterallitbecame.
You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Elizabeth's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community.

PODCAST TEAM
Host, Dana Tenille Weekes
Producer, Annabelle Oh
Editor, Sagheer Muhammad
Content Manager, Annabelle Oh
If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.
🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)
Until next time, rest, my friends.
Connect with Us
Website:
www.therestofuspodcast.com
Instagram:
@therestofus.podcast
@danatenilleweekes
Substack:
@therestofuspodcast
LinkedIn:
Dana Tenille Weekes
...more
5min
August 24, 2026Poetic Interlude - Nicole J. Evans reading "Strategies of a Savior"
How else can we stay grounded in our knowing amid turmoil? In this Poetic Interlude, Nicole J. Evans reads her poem "Strategies of a Savior.”
Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest.
Settle into the work of Nicole J. Evans and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.

ABOUT NICOLE
Nicole J. Evans (she/her) is a Black woman, born and reared in Los Angeles, who writes poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. 2024 James Kirkwood Prize nominee, with poetry anthologized in FlowerSong Press and Blacklandia/Inlandia Books.
Nicole is Pre-Matriarch, future Ancestor, Black sheep, vision alchemist, generational curse breaker, generational blessing manifestor, dream catcher, tale weaver, aspiring griot, empath, latent gardener, inherent inherited beautician, poet by heart, writer by revelation, and singer of her own songs.
Say “hello” to Nicole on Instagram @itsnicolejeanine.
You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Nicole's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community.

PODCAST TEAM
Host, Dana Tenille Weekes
Producer, Annabelle Oh
Editor, Sagheer Muhammad
Content Manager, Annabelle Oh
If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.
🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)
Until next time, rest, my friends.
Connect with Us
Website:
www.therestofuspodcast.com
Instagram:
@therestofus.podcast
@danatenilleweekes
Substack:
@therestofuspodcast
LinkedIn:
Dana Tenille Weekes
...more
6min
August 24, 2026Ep. 31: A Love Letter to Your Possibilities
What possibilities were you created to make real?
In this episode, Dana reads a love letter she wrote for The Rest of Us community, calling us to settle into the unfamiliar parts of ourselves. Because Dana believes that's where our greatest possibilities exist.
But to live in our possibilities, Dana talks about the need to break many of the norms we've embraced, which is where the fear of being ourselves lives.
What You'll Settle Into
How the familiar parts of ourselves are a kind of normal where we subconsciously have given in (or up), or think they serve us but actually undermine us.
How it is impossible to fear your possibilities.
How deconditioning, unlearning, and facing what we've normalized requires fear.
Key Quotes & Insights
"What you've been feeling is you missing you."
"You are the only one who can hold your possibilities and make them real."
"You just have to decide that you have the desire and agency to unlearn, decondition, face what you've normalized. It is this attachment that you fear letting go of."
"You may call your details ordinary, as in mundane. But maybe you haven't lived in them to find out just how extraordinary, or rather extra-ordinary, they are."

PODCAST TEAM
Host, Dana Tenille Weekes
Editor, Sagheer Muhammad
If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.
🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)
Until next time, rest, my friends.
Connect with Us
Website:
www.therestofuspodcast.com
Instagram:
@therestofus.podcast
@danatenilleweekes
Substack:
@therestofuspodcast
LinkedIn:
Dana Tenille Weekes
...more
16min
August 10, 2026Poetic Interlude - Omavi Shukur reading "thingafication of a soul"
How would you describe the difference between liberatory rest and predatory leisure? In this Poetic Interlude, Omavi Shukur shares his poem "thingafication of a soul" (originally published in Hanging Loose magazine, Issue 118).
Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest.
Settle into the work of Omavi Shukur and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.

ABOUT OMAVI
Omavi Shukur is a poet, civil rights attorney, and legal scholar from Little Rock, Arkansas. His writing appears in various publications, including The Root, Hanging Loose Magazine, and the Georgetown Law Journal.
Say “hello” to Omavi on Instagram @omavispeaks.
You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Omavi's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community.

PODCAST TEAM
Host, Dana Tenille Weekes
Producer, Annabelle Oh
Editor, Sagheer Muhammad
Content Manager, Annabelle Oh
If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.
🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.)
Until next time, rest, my friends.
Connect with Us
Website:
www.therestofuspodcast.com
Instagram:
@therestofus.podcast
@danatenilleweekes
Substack:
@therestofuspodcast
LinkedIn:
Dana Tenille Weekes
...more
5min

FAQs about The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille Weekes:

How many episodes does The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille Weekes have?

The podcast currently has 50 episodes available.