Where You Are

My guest on the latest episode of Where You Are is Natalya Winters, a colleague of mine who not only excels as a mentor and leader in education but also shines brightly in her everyday life by intentionally creating safe spaces around her for meaningful conversation and encouragement. You can find her at her Instagram handle, @healingisthegoal, where she hosts a weekly live Instagram called Cue the Confetti: Safe Space Conversations. In these live videos, Natalya shares her platform with others in order to explore the world through the experiences of those who have inspired her. But in this episode of Where You Are, we turn the tables on Natalya as we explore her world! Natalya reminds us of the power of vulnerability, transparency, and intentionality as she discusses surviving domestic violence, working as an advocate and mentor, living in America in the 21st century, exploring her own inner world, and being a mother. Every time I talk to Natalya, I come away with a feeling of connectedness and warmth, and I always learn something new that I feel makes me a better person; I know that you will have the same experience. Please enjoy this interview with Natalya Winters, and go check her out on Instagram at @healingisthegoal. You won’t regret it!

The latest episode of Where You Are debuts tomorrow with my special guest, Ashley Harlan Kitchens. Formerly in advertising, Ashley is now a full-time college English instructor at a community college in Alabama. Her passion and creativity inspire me, and I think you will be inspired, too. Every year, Ashley collaborates with instructors across disciplines to create a museum (on campus, pre-pandemic and online, post-pandemic). Students then contribute to that museum with their class projects. Last year's theme was pirates! I admit I was selfish in this interview; I asked a lot of questions about Ashley's grading process, how she creates assignments, and how she manages work-life balance (she does and doesn't, by the way!). As an English instructor myself, I often find myself struggling with maintaining balance, so it was great to hear Ashley's advice. In addition to being a great teacher and leader at her college, Ashley also lives life to the utmost outside the classroom. She is an aerialist, which takes lots of training and strength. This was an hour well-spent for me, and I know that you all will enjoy it, too. If you have teacher friends, share it with them, too. Ashley is the type of teacher who inspires all of us teachers to be strive to be better.

I'm excited to share my interview with YouTube content creator, Vacated. Only 15 years old, "Vacated," has created a lasting presence on YouTube that started with Let's Play content and has evolved into a video essay format. It was a pleasure talking to Vacated about his creative process. I think everyone will enjoy this interview!

Sam Badger is running for Tuscaloosa City Council District 5. Sam lives in Alberta City and attends the University of Alabama, where he majors in political science and economics. At the age of 19, has taken the initiative to run for office so that he can represent his community. I found him on Facebook Live one day, where he often makes impromptu, live videos highlighting his daily experiences knocking on doors in Alberta City. Over the course of his campaign, he has logged hours listening to his fellow residents describe the problems and concerns they have—everything from infrastructure to public safety to economic development. I am struck by the power of his message and by his tirelessness. This is what we need more of in this world if you ask me: principled, passionate people willing to run for local offices in order to represent the real needs of their communities. The election is on March 2, and I think Sam has a fighting chance because he is building strong relationships and name-recognition by getting out there and putting in the legwork. He also has endorsements from West Alabama Labor and the UAW local 112 Mercedes. He challenges Kip Tyner, who has held the seat for more than 20 years. If you would like to learn more about Sam after listening to this interview, you can catch him on Facebook Live or at his website, recently launched, which is badger4citycouncil.com. And there you will find the ways you can contribute to his campaign if you are so inclined.

I look forward to y'all hearing my conversation with my friend, Misty Haynes! She is an integral part of the Salon & Spa Management Program at Bevill State Community College with a loving, kind soul. I always love hearing about the many interesting experiences she has had in life and what they have taught her.

Tionna Taite, Editor-In-Chief, 1956 Magazine

Catch the latest episode of my podcast, Where You Are, tomorrow! In November, I sat down with Tionna Taite, editor-in-chief of Nineteen Fifty-Six, a new digital magazine at The University of Alabama that "celebrates Black excellence, culture, and students." Tionna talks about how she developed and executed the idea, her background that led her to this point in her life, the legacy of the magazine, and where she wants to be in the future. She is a highly motivated person with clear vision, and I find her approach to life very motivational. I think you will enjoy this interview. Please support Nineteen Fifty-Six! You can read it online HERE. Follow 1956Magazine on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Check out the latest episode of my podcast with my special guest, Janina Nobles. Janina runs the Child Development program at the college where we work, a program that continues to grow and thrive. I have gotten to know and admire Janina over the last few years as a colleague and friend, so I wanted to have her on the show to share what a great experience it is to get to know her. She is funny, multi-talented, smart, sincere--just beautiful, inside and out. The whole point of this podcast is to share with the world people who are lights in their communities, their workplaces, their world. And Janina is a light! I hope you'll listen as we discuss...well, pretty much everything! You can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher. If you will, please like and subscribe (and leave a review!). I don't make money off the podcast; it's a passion project. But I do want to continue to grow the audience so that more people can meet the people I find interesting and amazing! Thanks, y'all.

Catch the latest episode of Where You Are tomorrow with two very special guests! First up, my amazing niece, Chelsey Freeman Long, who talks about her love of music, her education and future plans, and a lot of other things. I love my niece so much; she is smart, funny, loving, and independent. I can still remember when her parents brought her home from the hospital as a tiny little baby. She was born premature and spent quite a while in the NICU; in fact, she talks in the interview about how this might have influenced both her love of music (her parents made sure she had music playing in the NICU) and her independence. It was so much fun being able to have her on the podcast. Next up is a wonderful former student and (now) friend, Lily Hayley. Lily discusses her current career and her future plans, along with life during the pandemic. While she works in advertising/public relations, she also has great talent as an actress, and we talk about that, as well. Actually, I directed Lily in a production of The Merchant of Venice, so I know first-hand how talented she is. All in all, this is one of my favorite episodes because I get to talk to two wonderful, intelligent young women whom I admire a lot. Oh, and I always have a blast when I talk to either of them! Thanks to both for being on the podcast.

In the latest episode, I sit down for a fascinating discussion with Quentin Harrison, "music commentator, historian, journalist, and critic." His series of books, Record Redux, highlights female musicians who have made important contributions to the world of pop, and his writing style engages as much as it instructs and critiques. In addition to his books, Quentin contributes frequent reviews to Albumism.com. I think you'll enjoy this conversation about music, culture, race, politics, and more. For more about Quentin, check him out on Twitter @TheQHBlend, on Instagram at retromodernfly, and buy his books on Amazon.

Join me in a conversation with the amazingly talented artist and musician, Stacy Beam! I really enjoyed my time with Stacy, and I know you will, too. You can find Stacy’s work online at stacybeam.com, on Instagram at stacybeamfineart, and on Facebook at Stacy Beam Fine Art.