Highly Visible & A Little Misunderstood

Ep. 51 - Journey Back To Self

This week, I am joined by Mika Gainer. 
Mika is a meditation teacher and somatic coach who blends spiritual-scholar-activism into the workplace and beyond as an everyday practice and lifestyle. She helps folks discover how to un-pretzel emotional opposites in their pursuit of prosperity to experience the ultimate inclusive reality. Her work as a Liberation Designer, helps folks identify subtle ways to create spaces that authentically open up their inner leadership.
CLICK TO TAKE THE PODCAST SURVEY
Stay in Touch with:
↳ Connect with Mika on Linkedin
↳ Schedule some time with Mika
↳ Visit the Soma Praxis Studio
 
Ways to support the show:
   👉🏾  Have you joined the Real Fam yet?
   👉🏾  Buy me Ko-fi ☕️
   👉🏾  Follow us on IG @RTWDPodcast
 
Sources Mentioned in Episode:
Advantages of Nose Breathing Vs. Mouth Breathing
Skill n Action: Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to create a just world
 
Folx, events & Orgs mentioned in the episode:
Michelle Cassandra Johnson
 
Production & Contact Details:
Producer: Jonathan Dumas (@rtwdpodcast)
Production help: Lindsay Dumas (@lindsaymariedumas)
Additional editing support: (Bijoy Ahmed)
Music: Tony Deras (@tonesterderas)
Show art: Lia Osley (@liabedrawing)
Email: RTWDPodcast@gmail.com

Ep. 50 - It’s All a Part of the Journey

This week, I am joined by Morenike Williams
Morenike Williams is an experienced senior legal executive, with over 14 years of experience navigating top law firms and corporations, both domestically and internationally. Despite having objective success, Morenike realized she was unfulfilled, so she embarked on a transformational journey to redefine what success looks like for her and has found fulfillment in rewriting her own story and journeying with others as they do the same.
 
Morenike and I talk about how it is ok for our life plans to evolve and sometimes change, defining what success means to us, and what advice we might give to our younger selves about happiness.
CLICK TO TAKE THE PODCAST SURVEY
 
Stay in Touch with:
↳ Check out Morenike's website at Revisioncoaching.com
↳ Email Morenike at info@revisioncoaching.com
↳ Follow Morenike on Linkedin
↳ Follow Morenike on Instagram
↳ Follow Morenike on Facebook 
 
Ways to support the show:
   👉🏾  Have you joined the Real Fam yet?
   👉🏾  Buy me Ko-fi ☕️
   👉🏾  Follow us on IG @RTWDPodcast
 
Sources for the show:
Interview with director of, Twenty Something, Aphton Corbin
 
Production & Contact Details:
Producer: Jonathan Dumas (@rtwdpodcast)
Production help: Lindsay Dumas (@lindsaymariedumas)
Additional editing support: (Bijoy Ahmed)
Music: Tony Deras (@tonesterderas)
Show art: Lia Osley (@liabedrawing)
Email: RTWDPodcast@gmail.com

Ep. 49 - Pay It Forward

I had a 2nd-grade teacher, Mrs. Duffy, who I thought didn’t like me very much. She would always call on me in class even though I was INCREDIBLY shy, tell me to pay attention when she noticed me daydreaming, and I would get extra work when no one else in my class did. So, I was really nervous when my mom and I sat in front of her at my parent-teacher conference (I don’t know if they still call them those). I fully expected Mrs. Duffy to tell my mom what a bad student I was, but the opposite happened. With a smile and hint of joy that I did not know Mrs. Duffy possessed, shared that I was an absolute joy to have in her class and how well I was doing. So well, in fact, that she recommended my mom consider moving me up a grade after Christmas break. Although I didn’t end up moving up to the 3rd grade (I didn’t find out that this was an option for me till years later, but would have preferred to have moved up tbh), Mrs. Duffy continued to invest in my development. She provided me with books my peers didn’t get, spent extra time with me to ensure I understood the higher level of material she had begun to give me and provided additional resources for my mom so I could do them at home.
I have been thinking about Mrs. Duffy, along with many others in my life, who have mentored and sponsored my educational journey, as well as my career and the impact is obvious. I can say without a doubt that I would not be who I am or be where I am without them and their influence; I recognize the privilege I have because of this. Sponsors and mentors advocate for you, provide you with additional resources and insight and grant you access to opportunities you otherwise would not have had.
Although I have had some great mentors and sponsors, I have also been on the other side of the spectrum. It is a long, difficult and lonely journey to navigate and figure out the intricacies of education and career on your own. My guest this week knows this feeling well, also. Sherylle Francis is an attorney, founder, and owner of Sherylle Francis, P.A. She is also among an extremely small minority of Black, Female, lawyers in the US (less than 4%, to be exact).
Sherylle and I spend some time talking about her career in law, pipeline issues within the legal profession, and what is to gain in having more diversity within the legal profession. Her pitch for folks considering the legal field: “Do it because we need you!”
CLICK TO TAKE THE PODCAST SURVEY
Stay in Touch with:
↳ Sherylle on Linkedin 
↳ Sherylle’s Website
 
Ways to support the show:
   👉🏾  Have you joined the Real Fam yet?
   👉🏾  Buy me Ko-fi ☕️
   👉🏾  Follow us on IG @RTWDPodcast
Production & Contact Details:
Producer: Jonathan Dumas (@rtwdpodcast)
Production help: Lindsay Dumas (@lindsaymariedumas)
Additional editing support: (Bijoy Ahmed)
Music: Tony Deras (@tonesterderas)
Show art: Lia Osley (@liabedrawing)
Email: RTWDPodcast@gmail.com

Ep. 48 - Forgiveness Doesn’t Mean Access

I used to be one of those folks that needed my calendar to be full. I had a lot of pride in how full my calendar was. If there was any space on it, I felt like I was slacking off or missing out. The idea of ‘rest’ was foreign to me, plus I am doing the things I enjoy and love, right? What I didn’t realize, while I was burning the candle on both ends, was that even the things that you enjoy at first can just be coping mechanisms.
By having a full calendar, all I was doing was trying to outwork my trauma. Which is always a losing battle. In all honesty, it took an entire pandemic for me to sit my butt down and learn the difference between peace and boredom (Still trying to figure this one out, tbh). But, I have found peace and boredom can actually go hand in hand.
My guest this week, Cristin Dent, shared her own journey with learning the difference between peace and boredom and why she will do whatever it takes to protect her boundaries. We also talk about what “outworking your trauma” can look like and why forgiveness doesn’t give access.
 
CLICK TO TAKE THE PODCAST SURVEY
 
Stay in Touch with:
↳ Check out Cristin’s website
↳ Email Cristin 📧
↳ Cristin’s Youtube 📺
 
Ways to support the show:
   👉🏾  Have you joined the Real Fam yet?
   👉🏾  Buy me Ko-fi ☕️
   👉🏾  Follow us on IG @RTWDPodcast
 
Sources for the show:
Betterhelp.com
Therapyforblackgirls.com
Talkspace.com
 
Production & Contact Details:
Producer: Jonathan Dumas (@rtwdpodcast)
Production help: Lindsay Dumas (@lindsaymariedumas)
Additional editing support: (Bijoy Ahmed)
Music: Tony Deras (@tonesterderas)
Show art: Lia Osley (@liabedrawing)
Email: RTWDPodcast@gmail.com

Ep. 47 - Y’all Not as Woke as You Think You Are (Part 2)

I recently read an article from MotherJones.com on how the mainstream movement against gender-based violence fails Black workers and survivors. In it, it recounts the experiences of Valeriana Chikoti Bandua Estes (She/Her) and Darin Dorsey at the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs (WCSAP). One of the first lines of the piece caught my immediate attention:
“What started as a handful of alienating comments, became a pattern of anti-Black discrimination from colleagues and others in the movement, including WCSAP’s government funders” (Pauly, 2022).
I found myself activated by the experiences I was reading. Not simply because of the relatableness of what Valeriana and Darin shared in the article, but how spaces specifically established to support, advocate for, and center the experiences of historically marginalized communities continue to perpetuate systems, processes, and behaviors that were/are anti-Black (I had a great conversation with Brannon Andrews entitled, Ep. 14 - I am Who I am (Ep. 15 (Part 2), where we talk about anti-Blackness; I also chatted with Melany Del Carpio about colorism in Black and Brown communities in Ep. 24 - I Think We Are Gonna Need to Unpack That). 
Valeriana and Darin joined me this week on RTWD, where we talked about their work journeys, particularly their experiences working at the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, the investigative piece written on them and so many others, and the prevalence of anti-Blackness that occurs within social justice-oriented organizations. 
Our conversation was vulnerable, candid, and in some ways liberating (for me, at least). It reminded me of a quote by the incredible Lutze Segu aka the Social Justice Doula. Who said:  
“How can you be my ally when you're avoiding your whiteness. If you are not clear about your context, how are you gonna be clear on how to disrupt, dismantle, and divest from white supremacy? [So], until you get your identity straight. You are nobody’s nothing other than a problematic person who at any moment is going to cause serious harm”
 
CLICK TO TAKE THE PODCAST SURVEY
 
Stay in Touch with:
↳ Valeriana on LinkedIn
↳ Darin on LinkedIn
↳ Check out Necessaryinterruptionsllc.com
↳ Check out Rootingmovement.org
Ways to support the show:
   👉🏾  Have you joined the Real Fam yet?
   👉🏾  Buy me Ko-fi ☕️
   👉🏾  Follow us on IG @RTWDPodcast
Folx, events & Orgs mentioned in the episode:
Motherjones.com
Sources for the show:
How the Mainstream Movement Against Gender-Based Violence Fails Black Workers & Survivors
Protect the Girl Child | Valeriana Chikoti-Bandua
Production & Contact Details:
Producer: Jonathan Dumas (@rtwdpodcast)
Production help: Lindsay Dumas (@lindsaymariedumas)
Additional editing support: (Bijoy Ahmed)
Music: Tony Deras (@tonesterderas)
Show art: Lia Osley (@liabedrawing)
Email: RTWDPodcast@gmail.com

Ep. 46 - Y’all Not as Woke as You Think You Are (Part 1)

I recently read an article from MotherJones.com on how the mainstream movement against gender-based violence fails Black workers and survivors. In it, it recounts the experiences of Valeriana Chikoti Bandua Estes (She/Her) and Darin Dorsey at the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs (WCSAP). One of the first lines of the piece caught my immediate attention:
“What started as a handful of alienating comments, became a pattern of anti-Black discrimination from colleagues and others in the movement, including WCSAP’s government funders” (Pauly, 2022).
I found myself activated by the experiences I was reading. Not simply because of the relatableness of what Valeriana and Darin shared in the article, but how spaces specifically established to support, advocate for, and center the experiences of historically marginalized communities continue to perpetuate systems, processes, and behaviors that were/are anti-Black (I had a great conversation with Brannon Andrews entitled, Ep. 14 - I am Who I am (Ep. 15 (Part 2), where we talk about anti-Blackness; I also chatted with Melany Del Carpio about colorism in Black and Brown communities in Ep. 24 - I Think We Are Gonna Need to Unpack That). 
Valeriana and Darin joined me this week on RTWD, where we talked about their work journeys, particularly their experiences working at the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, the investigative piece written on them and so many others, and the prevalence of anti-Blackness that occurs within social justice-oriented organizations. 
Our conversation was vulnerable, candid, and in some ways liberating (for me, at least). It reminded me of a quote by the incredible Lutze Segu aka the Social Justice Doula. Who said:  
“How can you be my ally when you're avoiding your whiteness. If you are not clear about your context, how are you gonna be clear on how to disrupt, dismantle, and divest from white supremacy? [So], until you get your identity straight. You are nobody’s nothing other than a problematic person who at any moment is going to cause serious harm”
CLICK TO TAKE THE PODCAST SURVEY
Stay in Touch with:
↳ Valeriana on LinkedIn
↳ Darin on LinkedIn
↳ Check out Necessaryinterruptionsllc.com
↳ Check out Rootingmovement.org
 
Ways to support the show:
   👉🏾  Have you joined the Real Fam yet?
   👉🏾  Buy me Ko-fi ☕️
   👉🏾  Follow us on IG @RTWDPodcast
 
Folx, events & Orgs mentioned in the episode:
Motherjones.com
Sources for the show:
How the Mainstream Movement Against Gender-Based Violence Fails Black Workers & Survivors
Protect the Girl Child | Valeriana Chikoti-Bandua
Production & Contact Details:
Producer: Jonathan Dumas (@rtwdpodcast)
Production help: Lindsay Dumas (@lindsaymariedumas)
Additional editing support: (Bijoy Ahmed)
Music: Tony Deras (@tonesterderas)
Show art: Lia Osley (@liabedrawing)
Email: RTWDPodcast@gmail.com

Ep. 45 - How Do We Heal?

A few years ago, I read a book about emotional intimacy. One part of the author’s story has stuck with me ever since and it was this idea about trauma and how we can allow it to be the guiding force in our lives. It was then that I realized how oftentimes, my 13-year-old traumatized self was making every major life decision for my 25-year-old self. 
 
How unfair for 13-year-old, Jonathan to be placed in a position to try and figure out roommate situations, find a good job, and be a good partner when all he really wanted was to trust that he was going to be safe.
 
Life is a journey, and as we grow older we learn to live with the trauma. However, I hope that we learn to process that trauma and heal.
 
This week, I am joined by Nia Ridgel, Licensed Clinical Therapist and Life Coach, founder, and owner of Ridgle Consulting to explore our journeys with trauma, what holistic health and healing can look like, and how to protect your peace, energy & everything in between.
Stay in Touch with:
↳ Nia Ridgle on LinkedIn
↳ RC Wellness Brand on LinkedIn
 
CLICK TO TAKE THE PODCAST SURVEY
 
Ways to support the show:
   👉🏾  Have you joined the Real Fam yet?
   👉🏾  Buy me Ko-fi ☕️
   👉🏾  Follow us on IG @RTWDPodcast
 
Production & Contact Details:
Producer: Jonathan Dumas (@rtwdpodcast)
Production help: Lindsay Dumas (@lindsaymariedumas)
Music: Tony Deras (@tonesterderas)
Showart: Lia Osley (@liabedrawing)
Email: RTWDPodcast@gmail.com

Ep. 44 - Real Moments: I Guess We’re Doing This Again

Yall we are barely about to leave May and I am already emotionally spent on this year.
Uvalde and Buffalo shootings; War in Ukraine; Roe vs. Wade looks like it will be overturned; and, Covid cases are back on the rise and we might see an outbreak of Monkeypox?
With times like these, it is still important to be still. So, I thought it would be good to do a replay of an episode where I lead an intentional breathing exercise to ground us at the moment. It is something I do when I feel like the moment or life is just too much.
I highly encourage you to incorporate some kind of resilience practice into your life.
CLICK TO TAKE THE PODCAST SURVEY
Ways to support the show:
   👉🏾  Have you joined the Real Fam yet?
   👉🏾  Buy me Ko-fi ☕️
   👉🏾  Follow us on IG @RTWDPodcast
 
Production & Contact Details:
Producer: Jonathan Dumas (@rtwdpodcast)
Production help: Lindsay Dumas (@lindsaymariedumas)
Music: Tony Deras (@tonesterderas)
Show art: Lia Osley (@liabedrawing)
Email: RTWDPodcast@gmail.com

Ep. 43 - Imma Hype Myself Up

This week I am joined by Dr. Lakeya Cherry. Founder, writer, coach, and non-profit executive. We talk about her path to becoming a coach, why entrepreneurship is like hiking, and why validation from others shouldn't be the only reason you step out of your comfort zone.
 
Stay in Touch with:
↳ Contact Lakeya Cherry
 
CLICK TO TAKE THE PODCAST SURVEY
 
Ways to support the show:
   👉🏾  Have you joined the Real Fam yet?
   👉🏾  Buy me Ko-fi ☕️
   👉🏾  Follow us on IG @RTWDPodcast
 
Production & Contact Details:
Producer: Jonathan Dumas (@rtwdpodcast)
Production help: Lindsay Dumas (@lindsaymariedumas)
Music: Tony Deras (@tonesterderas)
Showart: Lia Osley (@liabedrawing)
Email: RTWDPodcast@gmail.com

Ep. 42 - Fear Ain’t Gonna Steal My Dreams

When is the last time you’ve done a life assessment? If it's been a while or if you’ve never done one, here are 3 good questions Daryl Mobley, author, speaker, and life & executive coach says you can ask yourself to see if someone or something needs to go:
Is this person/thing/job good to me?
Is this person/thing/job good for me?
Is this person/thing/job good with me?
We spend some time talking about how to get laser-focused on getting the most out of life and eliminating the things and people that prevent us from doing our “must-do” list. We also discuss the work the company he co-founded, Catapult Leaders, is doing around getting Black folks hired and why there never has been a pipeline issue. 
 
Stay in Touch with:
↳ Daryl Mobley on LinkedIn
 
CLICK TO TAKE THE PODCAST SURVEY
 
Ways to support the show:
   👉🏾  Have you joined the Real Fam yet?
   👉🏾  Buy me Ko-fi ☕️
   👉🏾  Follow us on IG @RTWDPodcast
Sources for the show:
Racial Attention Deficit study
Production & Contact Details:
Producer: Jonathan Dumas (@rtwdpodcast)
Production help: Lindsay Dumas (@lindsaymariedumas)
Music: Tony Deras (@tonesterderas)
Show art: Lia Osley (@liabedrawing)
Email: RTWDPodcast@gmail.com