Reginald D: Welcome to Real Talk with Reginald D.
I'm your host, Reginald D.
Today I'm bringing back a special guest,
A’Santianna Austin.
A’Santianna is a 20 year old, award winning author,
speaker,
youth Advocate and a 2027 Grammy nominated spoken word artist.
At 8 years old, she was diagnosed with epilepsy and turned that adversity into purpose through storytelling.
A’Santianna is also the author of Melanated no Black which is being used in public private schools and juvenile detention centers.
A’Santianna Anna just finished up an exciting Black History Month tour,
so I decided to bring her back on the show so we could hear all about it.
Welcome to the show, A’Santianna:.
A’Santianna: Hi. It's good to be back.
Reginald D: Absolutely, absolutely.
So the last time we talked, I was very amazed about you and the things you were doing at the young age you were doing it at. And I was just so excited.
I said, man, we got to get her back on the show.
We had talking off air, you was talking about this Black History Month tour that you was going on. I said, okay,
so here we go. A’Santianna, let's go back. Tell us a little bit about growing up with epilepsy and some of the challenges you you faced growing up and how you overcame them.
A’Santianna: So growing up with epilepsy,
I feel like it made me grow up, but I also feel like it made me miss a lot of my childhood and missing that portion of my childhood. I feel like that's kind of what's driven me to make this whole book thing like, a success so that I could live that,
you know, comfortable lifestyle that I dreamed of as a kid.
Reginald D: Yeah, absolutely. So since your Black History Month tour, let's talk about that.
How have you personally evolved not just as an artist and a speaker and all the incredible things you do, but as a young woman walking in purpose?
A’Santianna: I feel like it has helped me evolve as a person by getting to know other people, but not just looking at myself as, oh, I'm an author,
I'm a speaker, but, you know, just being able to, you know, take care of myself, take a break from writing and be more involved in my community and in other communities.
Reginald D: So can you tell us a little bit about the Black History Month, the tour that you went on? What did that entail?
A’Santianna: Of course. So I did the entire district, 186 public schools and private schools as well. And then I did a little bit of Chicago district and Peoria district schools as well.
It was really fun. I had a great time meeting new people,
answering questions and hanging out with some of the youth in the community.
Reginald D: Yeah. So what was the most powerful moment from the tour that reminded you why you do this work?
A’Santianna: I feel like the most powerful moment from the tour was I was at the school in Springfield, and there was this kid who had raised his hand for a question, and he had asked me, why do you do what you do if you're going to have haters no matter what?
And I had told him, I said, that's a very good question, first off. And I had told him that if you don't have haters, then you're not doing something right.
Reginald D: Yeah. And that's very wise because a lot of people don't understand it. They think that if you do doing it right, are you doing the good things that everybody's supposed to love you, you know?
A’Santianna: Right.
Reginald D: People,
unfortunately,
people envy progress or they envy someone who is making a difference in life,
you know, no matter how good it is.
But that's what I always tell you. You got to downplay the haters, and you got to keep moving.
Haters, they're just a challenge you, I mean, that just waited. I think they were sent from another spirit somewhere. I think they were just sent just to make you greater.
A’Santianna: They are there to make you have thicker skin, make you tougher, and make you succeed.
Reginald D: That's it. So on tool, what did you notice about how young people are currently wrestling with identity, culture, and self definition?
A’Santianna: I feel like, especially in the brown community,
I feel like in today's age, I feel like we're not as in tune as we should be with our culture and, you know, we. Where we come from and what we're capable of and the things we've accomplished as not just people, but as a community and the things we have to offer as a community,
like things like sororities and fraternities,
the Divine nine,
the naacp. I feel like we're not as in tuned like we should be. And I feel like that's what I talked about on my tour, you know, giving them great opportunities like those things like the NAACP,
like HBCUs,
like the Divine Nine.
Reginald D: Right, right.
So your book Melanated not black continues to impact schools and even juvenile detention centers.
What does it mean to you, knowing your words are shaping identity at a young age?
A’Santianna: Honestly, it's really a blessing and it's an honor because I didn't think writing a book was a big deal when I started it,
but now that, you know, I've gotten this far, I feel like it's only the beginning of what I want to accomplish with My words.
Reginald D: So do you think the things that you do and the impact you're bringing, do you think it's kind of going against the grain?
A’Santianna: Sometimes I feel like yes and no.
No, because I know that what I do impacts people in a positive way,
and I know that my words have helped people.
And. Yes, because not a lot of people understand what I'm trying to do yet.
And, you know, that's okay.
Reginald D: Right. Because I think a lot of times you just got to put it out in the atmosphere, you know, what you're called to do and what your purpose is.
Everybody's not going to get it at the beginning.
Trust me, they won't. But then, you know, as years go on, you know, I mean, I get it myself sometimes people say, man, you said some 10 years ago that I thought about and it changed my life, but it took them 10 years to get it,
you know, but at the end of the day, if they get it, they get it. I think it just comes in moments that it should come, because when I think, you know,
the things that you do and what you're doing, when you're sitting up there and you're speaking to people,
you're throwing powerful things out into the atmosphere.
Some people catch it right then, and some people will walk away and not get it at. At one point, but it'll become a situation in their life. And they look back on like, oh, man,
something. I said this at this place. I remember what she said and that, you know, that's how it works. It never falls on their fears. You know what I'm saying?
A’Santianna: Right. And it's nothing against, like, me personally, just like, they didn't understand it at the time.
Reginald D: Right. Exactly. How has your understanding of the phrase melanated, not black, deepened since you first wrote it?
A’Santianna: When I first wrote it, honestly, I just wanted it to sound really cool. I just wanted my title to sound really cool. Well, now, as I've evolved as a writer, as an author,
I realized that, you know, I picked that title because it means we're more than a label.
So we're more than what we check in a box or what we're called to do or, you know, we're just more than a color,
essentially. So that's what that title means.
Reginald D: Right,
right.
And see what I get from you as a young woman.
You're a young woman of faith,
you know, And I think. Well, I know. I don't think that's what's going to carry you through.
So how has your faith carried you through moments of exhaustion? Because I know you get tired, you're going to school, you're doing all this other kind of stuff.
Doubt sometimes I get it. I've been there.
Or pressure. As your platform continues to grow, how does faith carry you through all those moments?
A’Santianna: God works in mysterious ways.
When I was diagnosed with epilepsy, the doctors told me that I wasn't going to make it past 12.
And I'm here today.
And I didn't know that I wanted to be an author when I was younger. I didn't start until I was about 18,
so about two years ago.
And honestly, it's been a blessing because I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life until about two years ago when I found writing.
Reginald D: Yeah. And that's how it works sometimes. You know,
when you get scrambled in your mind and all that kind of stuff, that sometimes God will say, boop, Pull something out, throw it at you. And you like, okay, all right, okay, we're gonna try this.
Then you say, okay, this is really what I need to be doing.
Because here's the thing,
you know, I love it. Don't get me wrong, but at 20 years old,
you carry a wisdom beyond your years. I'm telling you, when I was 20 years old,
I wasn't doing none of this.
Everything I was doing was wrong.
At 20 years old, as a young boy, I wasn't a man. Young boy. So whether you believe that spiritual maturity comes from a few,
honestly,
I'd have
A’Santianna: to say, like my grandmother, my mom, I was raised in a very faithful household.
I played sports, and I would write Bible verses on my spikes before I would run.
It was Isaiah 41:10, you know, fear not, for I am with you. God has just always been like in me, and it's just hard not to believe that he's real.
With everything that I've been through and everything that I've overcome and the things that I've been able to do at such a young age.
Reginald D: Yeah, you'll live an example of that.
You know, when man said, you will make it 12 years old, God said,
no, I got something better.
Not only did he allow you to live longer,
he gave you purpose with it.
A’Santianna: Exactly.
Reginald D: So you ain't got to worry about that part. You're going to keep living as long as he keep giving you purpose and you keep doing what you're doing with it. He got so much greater things inside of you, greater things he wants to do with you.
Because one thing about you,
first time I met you and we talked on the first Podcast.
You have a servant heart,
and you are obedient, young lady,
and that's going to carry you for years to come.
A’Santianna: So appreciate that. It means a lot.
Reginald D: Yeah, absolutely. So what does obedience to purpose look like in this current season of your life?
A’Santianna: You know, no season looks perfect,
but, you know, I have my days where I just don't feel like doing anything.
I have my days where they're just bad and upsetting. But I also have my days when I will go on tour or speak at a school or give away things or publish a book or go on a talk show.
But no matter, like the day or how I'm feeling, you know, you just got to be faithful because,
you know God has something for you for that day, you know, because you woke up for a reason,
no matter the season. So you just got to, you know, smile through it all and trust that he has a plan for you and trust that there are better days ahead.
Reginald D: Absolutely. I like that. So you led Project 500 with the mission of empowering 500 youth through literacy and mentorship.
A’Santianna: Yes.
Reginald D: What leadership lessons have you learned that you didn't expect?
A’Santianna: Leadership lessons. Anybody can be a leader.
Anybody can be a leader.
No matter your background, what you've done,
no matter your past, anybody can be a leader. It just matters, you know, whether you're willing to take that initiative because you have to be willing to lead yourself first before you can lead somebody else.
Reginald D: That's wisdom there.
That's wisdom there. Because I always say this, and you're right. You gotta be able to lead yourself. And when you lead yourself,
you lead yourself with a unselfish heart. I always tell people,
the best leaders or the leaders that have a servant heart,
you know,
you lead by serving others and others follow you because you serve and you teach them how to serve, and then you grow from there. You just want to be a boss then that's a whole different.
That's a whole different thing. I mean, you're not gonna get forward that. But being a leader.
A leader serves first before. Everybody want to be on the mountaintop, everybody want to be seen. A lot of times I'm like, hey, man, who you serve, you know,
to get here?
And you definitely have a servant heart in what you do.
So how do you protect your peace and mental health while carrying the responsibility of being a voice for your generation? Because that's what you are.
A’Santianna: I like to protect my peace by limiting my circle of people. I feel like people feel like they have to have, like, this big group of friends, but you really don't, you know, you just need like a nice small circle and, you know, don't call everybody your friend, know, limit some to associates.
Reginald D: Yeah, exactly. So you have to manage that part of your life, trust me. Because some people,
especially with you 20 years old, I get it,
Most young women or young men, 20 years old, they just hanging out.
A’Santianna: Right.
Reginald D: And you,
you purpose driven and you're s.
And you understand your calling of what you got to do. So all that hanging out,
the hanging out friends,
you know,
they can't go if they're not connected to the purpose,
you know?
A’Santianna: Exactly.
Reginald D: So, I mean,
it's all right to see the hanging out friends at Nicod, wherever you go, hang out or whatever, restaurant, whatever y' all do. But for the purpose,
you know,
it's got to be the ones that understand what you're trying to do, and that's. That will be limited. You understand that.
So,
and so the honor, Let me ask you this.
Being a 20, 27 Grammy nominated spoken word artist is huge.
A’Santianna: Yeah.
Reginald D: How do you stand grounded when accolades and recognition increase?
A’Santianna: Well, honestly, the glory is not mine. It's God's.
Reginald D: Yeah, absolutely. And that's what I love about you. Because I'm gonna tell you something.
When people are young,
you know, and as they try to mature in life,
when they started getting accolades and stuff at young ages, kind of get that swollen head syndrome, you know what I'm talking about?
A’Santianna: Yeah. The.
Reginald D: Yeah, yeah. You're the big head, but you stay grounded. And I think that comes from.
Well, I know it comes from your faith,
some of the struggles you've been through in life and you know, it's coming full circle that, you know, this is not me.
God all day. So you give it the glory where the glory needs to be.
A’Santianna: Exactly. Try and stay humble.
Reginald D: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And you are.
So if the younger version of you,
before the awards, before the stages, before the book,
could you see you now?
And if you could see you now, put it that way, what would you say to yourself?
A’Santianna: So the first question you asked,
did I see myself like this?
Absolutely not.
And if I could see myself 10 years ago the way I am now, honestly, I say wow. Like,
wow.
Reginald D: You'll be proud of yourself.
A’Santianna: I'd be so proud of myself.
Reginald D: And you should be. And you should be. You are a remarkable young lady. And your legacy is going to be huge.
A’Santianna: I hope. I'm just, you know, trying to make an impact where I can.
Reginald D: Yes. And you keep pushing that at your age, trust me, your legacy is going to be huge.
Your Impact is not just going to be.
It's going to be global. I already said see it coming.
A’Santianna: Thank you. I appreciate that.
Reginald D: Sontiana. I have what I call quick fire questions.
A’Santianna: Ooh. All righty.
Reginald D: Yeah. So there's not a right or wrong answer. All right.
A’Santianna: Okay. All right.
Reginald D: I'm just going to throw them at you. One word that defines this season of your life.
A’Santianna: Ooh. Definitely. A humble, definite.
Reginald D: Okay. A scripture or affirmation that anchors you right now.
A’Santianna: A scripture would have to be Jeremiah 29:11, for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you.
Reginald D: Yes. And what's one moment on tour that kind of brought you to tears?
A’Santianna: When the kids had asked me so many great questions about my career, and they were, like, genuinely interested because they hadn't met, like, someone from their community who had done so many things.
Reginald D: Yeah. And that's remarkable,
you know, and that probably changed somebody's life and gave them so much hope, you know, because no telling where they live or what kind of culture they live in or what kind of community they live in, you know?
A’Santianna: Right.
Reginald D: There's good people in every community, every culture, you know, but they just need to see somebody who looks like them,
who's came from struggles like them,
rise like you have.
A’Santianna: Right.
Reginald D: And that's game changing.
A’Santianna: Thank you. Appreciate it.
Reginald D: Tell me one habit that keeps you disciplined.
A’Santianna: A habit, probably prayer.
Reginald D: Okay, we've got that. We there on that one.
A’Santianna: We there. We there.
Reginald D: We there. Yeah, we there.
If you could speak one sentence directly to the youth of America right now,
what would it be?
Let me back up. Let me back up on that one.
If you could speak one sentence directly to the youth, I'd probably say world right now. What would it be? I don't want to say America, because I'm telling you, you're going to be global.
A’Santianna: If I could speak one sentence to the youth or to America, I'd probably say,
if you're trying to accomplish something, you know, whatever you try to accomplish in life, don't let the doubters get you down, because those are the same people who are going to clap for you when you're up at the top.
Reginald D: Yes. And then what does it take to become successful in what they do or what their purpose is every day?
A’Santianna: I feel like everybody's version of success is different.
So whether you want to go to college and get a degree or be an author, a musician,
you know, an athlete, everybody's version of success is different. So if you set a goal for Yourself and you achieve that goal. That could be a person's success right there.
It doesn't have to be, you know, oh, I'm world famous. I'd be been on this, this and that. You could, you know, set a goal for yourself and achieve it, and then you could be deemed successful.
Reginald D: Absolutely. Wisdom speaking.
A’Santianna: Yeah.
Reginald D: So I'm gonna say this to you, and I'm gonna say this is, you know, I had to bring you back on the show because there was something special about you.
You know, I am proud of you.
I believe in you,
and you have what it takes, and it takes what you got.
You just stay grounded and you stay disciplined.
You know,
eyes haven't seen, ears haven't heard of, what's going to become of you.
A’Santianna: Thank you. That means so much.
Reginald D: Yes.
Yes.
Because you got what it takes. Trust me on that one. Trust me on that one.
So there you have it, everybody.
A’Santiann Austin, thank you so much for coming on the show. I really appreciate it. I am so, so proud of you,
and I admire everything you're doing, and I will be there for you.
You reach out to me. We get off the line here. I'm going to give you my personal cell phone number. If you need someone to talk to inspire you or whatever case may be, any kind of advice, I'm here for you.
A’Santianna: That's great. Thank you so much. I had a great time,
and I hope to do big things in the future. Not hope, but, you know, I will do big things in the future.
Reginald D: Right. So before we go, what are you working on? You got anything you're working on next?
A’Santianna: Yes, I actually just finished the first part of my three book series. It's called the Kind of Hate. I love the series. That's what the series is called. And the book I just finished is called Between Worlds,
and it comes out in April.
Reginald D: Okay, so you got somewhere that listeners to follow you and keep up with you?
A’Santianna: A’Santiann Austin on all platforms, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Reginald D: Okay, got it, Got it. A’Santiann Austin, thank you so much. You know, and I'll definitely be in touch with you and. And keep pushing.
A’Santianna: Okay, awesome. Thank you for having me.
Reginald D: All right, thank you.
Thanks for listening to Real Talk. Reginald D. If you enjoyed listening to Real Talk Original D, please rate and review on our podcast. See you next time.