People Interacting with People
A podcast about People Interacting with People. In April 2015, I became homeless. I decided to embrace this homelessness and what followed was five years of nomadic life, over 250 moves in Canada and the United States, on an average budget of roughly $22 a day.
While sitting in a 24 hour diner in Toronto on my first two homeless nights, a young man sat beside me and when I told him about my experience - spending 9 hours each night at the diner, getting a free coffee and a brownie on my second night - he turned to me and asked:
"Do you think you'd be having the same experience if you were Black?"
Over those next five years, I had a series of "chance" encounters with Black people and had some very interesting conversations. I documented some of them in writing but when I compiled them into a 300 page script during the pandemic, I realized that - in writing it myself - I had lost the authenticity of the other person's voice.
And so, I decided to hit the road and reconnect with some of these wonderful people while also leaving myself open to meeting new ones. These are our conversations.
Episodes
46 episodes
S3 EP7: Spotlighting Unsung Heroes, Meeting Madeleine, Breaking Out of the "Black Box", Learning to Laugh, & Bringing Balance w/ Kesha in Atlanta
In this episode, I sit down in conversation with Kesha in Atlanta. We had a very serendipitous meeting when I sat down at the bar where she works after visiting Gadsden, Alabama where my friend, Madeleine, was arrested for her participation in ...
S3 EP6: Selling Real Estate, Brokering Car Deals, Navigating Canada's Healthcare, Making Music, & Working with Celebrities w/ Destiny in Miami
In this episode, I sit down with Destiny who lives and works in Florida. Destiny and I met at the Fort Lauderdale Airport earlier this year and discovered we had a few things in common including being born and raised in Toronto.We staye...
S3 EP5 Part 2: Pursuing Artistic Endeavours, Finding the Right Support, Understanding the Black Man, Having the "Black Talk" & Moving with Grace w/ Anna in Fort Lauderdale
In this episode, I continue my conversation with Anna who tells me about some of her artistic endeavours which include having a published book, writing for a documentary, and creating music. We talk about the need to be selfish and find the rig...
S3 EP5 Part 1: NAACP Advisories, Food Deserts, Housing as a Human Right, Getting Political, & Growing Up in the South w/ Anna in Fort Lauderdale
In this episode, I sit down with Anna in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to chat with her about the work she does to bring more political power to the people, her views on the NAACP advisories that are still coming out today for Black people and Peopl...
S3 EP4 Part 2: Money, Power, Rap Music, Pop Culture, & The Black Family w/ Gordon in North Carolina
In this episode, I continue my conversation with Gordon. We talk about money, power, his experience listening to a broad range of Rap music, his theory when it comes to the representation of the Black family on TV in the 60s & 70s and how t...
S3 EP4 Part 1: Having the Whitest Name Ever, Serving in Iraq, Surviving in the Chain Gang, Liking Yourself, & Living in the Moment w/ Gordon in North Carolina
In this episode, I sit down with Gordon after meeting him just a couple of days before and chatting for hours. Gordon is from a small town in Georgia, has served in Iraq, has been incarcerated or "in the chain gang", and has a very interesting ...
S3 EP3 Part 2: Five Minutes of Fame at The Apollo, Becoming Mr. D, Paid Line Ups, Police Encounters, & Personal Choices w/ Danny aka Mr. D in North Carolina
In this episode, I continue my conversation with Danny who tells me about his five minutes of fame singing with his all time favourite group at the Apollo Theater, his singing career, and a few of the not-so-nice encounters he had with police a...
S3 EP3 Part 1: Coming Up in the Bronx, Being a First Generation B-Boy, Originating Moves, The Evolution of Hip Hop, & Showing Up to Show Out w/ Danny aka MC Ski Jump in North Carolina
In this episode, I sit down with Danny - aka MC Ski Jump - to talk about his experience coming up as one of the First Generation B-Boys in the Bronx.Danny - who I met by chance when I got lost driving through Fayetteville, North Carolin...
S3 EP2 Part 2: Living in Your Authenticity, Being Blessed But Bullshit, Performing Poetry, Living as a Same-Gender-Loving Male, & Liberating Yourself w/ Artis aka DJ ART.IS in Anacostia, D.C.
In part two of my conversation with Artis, we talk about living in your authenticity, Artis performs some of his poetry - including one about living as a "same-gender-loving male" which leads to a longer discussion about this - and we talk abou...
S3 EP2 Part 1: What Art Is, Learning to Pivot, Planting Seeds, Finding Your Tribe, & Saying YES to Opportunities w/ Artis aka DJ ART.IS in Anacostia, D.C.
In this episode, I sit down with Artis - aka DJ ART.IS - in DC to talk about what art is, learning to pivot when things don't go according to plan, planting seeds when it comes to relationships, finding your tribe, and saying YES to opportuniti...
S3 EP1 Part 2: The Oldest Known Religion, Rap Music as Therapy, Lost Souls in Prison, The Evolution of an Artist, & Shooting Music Videos on the Fly w/ DeMar aka Fly Guy Impulse in Catskill, NY
In this second part of my conversation with DeMar, he tells me about Santeria, the spiritual practice he discovered while in Federal Prison and one he attributes to helping him to never go back.It's such a great story and DeMar is an am...
S3 EP1 Part 1: Petty Crimes, Police Brutality, Gang Banging, Prison Life, Trauma, & Reintegrating Back into Society w/ DeMar aka Fly Guy Impulse in Catskill, NY
In this first episode of Season 3, I sit down near Catskill, New York where I met this next guest last year.DeMar, who was shooting a music video at the time, had been released from Federal Prison just a couple of years before we met.
SIZZLE 6: Introducing... Damien, Namel, & Fferé
In this clip, meet Damien in Kentucky, Namel in Harlem, and Fferé in DC.Episode 4 Season 1:Damien and I met at the Fort Campbell, Kentucky Army Base. He volunteered to come on the podcast to tell me about the challenges he faces and...
SIZZLE 5: Introducing... Mac, Allison, & George
IN this clip, meet Mac in North Carolina, Allison in Atlanta, and George in New York.Episode 2 Season 1:Mac and I met at Toronto Airport when I was living there for nine days. He was a flight attendant working in private aviation wh...
SIZZLE 4: Introducing... Marq, Dominion, Maya, & Daijon
IN this clip, meet Marq in Las Vegas, Dominion in DC, Maya in DC, and Daijon in Las Vegas.Episode 6 Season 1:Marq and I met when I was sleeping I my car in Vegas. It turns out he's a talented musical artist and vocalist from Milwauk...
SIZZLE 3: Introducing... Jerry, Alex, Quatae, & Lisa
In this clip, meet Jerry in New York, Alex in Las Vegas, Quatae in DC and Lisa in DC.Episode 7 Season 2:Jerry and I met on an overnight bus from Toronto to New York in 2016 where we chatted through the night and Jerry shared his lif...
SIZZLE 2 - Introducing... Aleathia, Myles, Judith, & Kerric
In this clip, meet Aleathia in New York, Myles in LA, Judith in New Jersey & Kerric in Las Vegas.Episode 5 Season 2:Aleathia and I met while walking down the street in the Bronx. She is the creator of a movement to bring awarene...
SIZZLE 1: Introducing... Cat, Dray, Leka, & Kumei
In this clip, meet Cat in the Bronx, Dray in Las Vegas, Leka in New York, and Kumei in Las Vegas.Episode 9 Season 2:Cat and I met through a mutual friend this summer in New York. She is my soul sister, my Taurean twin, a Minister, a...
S2 EP10: Working at a Boys' Maximum Security Prison, Healing Male Trauma, Owning a Gun, Playing Baseball & Being Yourself w/ Leka in Catskill, NY
In this episode, I sit down with my new friend, Leka at his home in Catskill, New York.Leka and I met through a mutual friend and, following a few conversations about his life, I invited him to come on the podcast.Leka works as ...
S2 EP9: Becoming a Minister at Ten, Recognizing Trauma, Doing the Work, Loving Yourself & Living Fearlessly w/ Cat in the Bronx
In this episode, I sit down with my new friend, and "Taurean Twin", Cat at her apartment in the Bronx.Cat tells me about how she feels about the Bronx, how she became a Minister at the age of ten, what she learned from the Jehovah's Wit...
S2 EP8: Starting a Juice Business, Serving Your Community, Taking a Risk, Following Your Passion, & Understanding How Energy Works with George in Catskill, NY
In this episode, I sit down with my new friend, George, at his shop in Catskill, New York called the Juice Branch.I met George when I arrived in Catskill and went to his shop to set myself up with a juice cleanse. George tells me all ab...
S2 EP7: Growing up in the Bronx, Living in a Psych Ward, Traveling the World, Having Run-ins with the Police & Making it Happen with Jerry in Albany, NY
In this episode, I sit down with my very special friend, Jerry aka Swervo.Jerry and I met six years ago and spent all night talking on an overnight bus from Toronto to New York. In this episode, Jerry elaborates on that first co...
S2 EP6: Guns, Getting Shot, Disability Culture, The Grammys, Working with Snoop Dogg & Being Ahead of One's Time with Namel in Harlem
In this episode, I sit down with my friend Namel to talk about how he combines Hip Hop Culture with Disability Culture after being shot and paralyzed in the Bronx in 1999 and starting a Hip Hop Duo called 4 Wheel City.We talk guns, the ...
S2 EP5: Hair Freedom, Beauty Standards, Learned Behaviours in Childhood, The Value of Lived Experience & When Art Goes Beyond the Artist with Aleathia in Manhattan
In this episode, I sit down with my friend, Aleathia, to talk about her initiative called Unveiled Unlocked.She tells me about how it all started, its mission to change the narrative around being "bareheaded" or "hair free", and what th...
S2 EP4: Hypnosis, Sound Healing, Generational Trauma, Past Life Regression & The Power of the Spoken Word with Quatae in D.C.
In this episode, I sit down with my new friend, Quatae, to talk about hypnosis and hypnotherapy.After experiencing my first hypnotherapy session with Quatae a few days earlier, we discuss some of what happened in that session, the benef...