In 2003, a cultural phenomenon had been introduced to the Disney world, inspiring kids everywhere to let our their inner performer (or rather inner Cheetah), and Darrell happened to be one of them. Join Darrell, Shadiyah, and Morgan on this cheetahlicious journey as they recall ways in which this Disney Channel original movie impacted each of their lives, reuniting with Galleria, Chanel, Aqua, and Dorinda, almost twenty years later. If you are a cheetah girls fan, who finds themself still impacted by this important piece of pop culture today, this one's for you. May the free creative child in you live on forever! 

Open up the box with Darrell, as he reads to you a decade's worth of an evolution of his deepest writing, beginning with an essay written at eleven years old, and ending with a poem from just three nights ago about the sound of music traveling through an apartment full of relatives. 

What’s the mental & spiritual cost of giving too much of ourselves to work environments? This week, Darrell, Shadiyah Jai, and Morgan Moxie are discussing their experiences as young black creative people going into work environments before knowing what they know now about self-honoring, as they share their stories with each other, and ways to honor themselves now to favor their creative powers & mental healths over the benefits of others.

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The pace is picking up again, but please don't forget about you. Let's take a reflective moment to release.

Who could I be if I stepped out of my own way? What lives on the other side of the door that I've avoided my entire life, assuming that I couldn't possibly be good enough, just waiting for me to say yes? This week is all about Identity and self-perception, and ways that perfectionism and negative self-beliefs blind us from our own senses of potency and possibility that lives beyond our closed doors. Join Darrell for a tea party in a field of flowers as you both journey a bit more to your creative hearts, acknowledging ways in which you can both move forward to those creative dreams that are rightfully yours.

Each of us has a 'jar of hope,' a list of personal items, and/or creative pieces of work that grant us senses of safety. Transitioning into adulthood can often be a confusing, frightening, and weird experience for many of us, and in some of the darkest points in our lives, we are lucky enough to have found some fabulous gems that impact us and will be with us forever. What are some of yours? Sit in, or walk with Darrell as he expresses his connections to three things from his 'jar of hope': Moonlight, a film by Tarell Alvin McCraney, The Little Prince(ss), a film by Moxie Peng, and his all time favorite, British girl group Little Mix.

Hey, take a breather. Your dreams are going to come true. Are there any fears behind your constant need to produce, work, be super productive, or neglect proper rest? What even is rest for each of us as individuals, and why does it save us from becoming self-destructive? Are we self-destructively equating our self-worth to our to-do lists, and how do we find a healthy balance between pushing ourselves to accomplish what we dream of, and still being delicate with our creative inner children who are easily impressed, yet easily bored and tired out?

Have you ever felt like you could only be half of yourself in certain environments, or a modified version of yourself (to the benefit of others) in order to feel safe? It is pride month, and Darrell has a lot to express. What changes are we willing to make in our lives so that we don't have to stuff ourselves deep inside ourselves, suffering in silence for anyone? It is no longer a secret that sometimes we can feel seriously wrong for our identities, and together, let's decide not to. What are the stakes, and why does this world need us? The LGBTQIA+ community is a very beautiful, vast, creative union that lengths from one side of the world to another, and deserve to be honored. In what small, or big, ways are we honoring ourselves? Sit in with your favorite snack as Darrell poetically expresses what his experience has been like, so far, protecting himself in environments that normalize homophobia within the black community, and how crucial it is to find better environments for ourselves (barbershops, creative spaces, friendships, etc.)

What does it mean to give yourself permission in life to follow your dreams? What happens when you do? This week on a very mellow, calming episode of Underneath The Sunbeams, Darrell expresses the changes he’s been able to recognize in his life since granting himself permission to express himself creatively, and how much of himself he’s gotten to meet since then, so far. What is it like like to fear being too ambitious, or to be afraid that you will make a fool of yourself for advocating for yourself as an artist; that you’ll only fall short in the end? Sit in on this episode to explore these subconscious beliefs and how limiting they can be to human nature, and what things could [surprisingly] be like for us learning new ways to view ourslves. 

Returning to New York City, from London, just a week ago, Darrell has come to ponder this specific question: How does your subjected environment affect you, and how different are you when you branch out into the world and find other home bases for yourself in this vast, plentiful world? This week, Darrell expresses the impact environment has on his well-being, and what it really means to be in a place often, when you're a growing individual who needs the room and space to evolve, and the dishonoring of self that comes with spending too much time around people who are choosing not to grow, or evolve in good ways. This week, he also shares stories of moments in his life when adult strangers, during childhood, have provoked his thinking, giving him permission to think and dream bigger when there wasn't much of that around, and how crucial that is for the growth of a young black person.