Leslie woke up one morning, went in to work and said to her boss, “I need a break, I’m going to take several months off”. As a full time anesthesiologist she put aside concerns of what her absence would do to the busy OR schedule or the pinch her colleagues would experience being on call. What she knew (for sure) was that she was fatigued, her mind was distracted, her body was rebelling and she had never taken an extended break from work in her over twenty year career.
In this episode of Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn Leslie describes to her Bestie Angella what it felt like to direct her caring spirit inward- to wake up late without her usual to-do list, spend time with friends and loved ones, travel and contemplate what retirement might actually feel like.On her first day back to the operating room Leslie immediately felt back at home and recalled why medicine is truly her calling. Her time away from the demands of doctoring showed her that she really missed being away and that balancing a busy career with personal well-being is not only possible but essential. She could certainly see herself moving toward retirement- just no time soon.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.Get Angie’s eBook: We’re Too Old for This Shit! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Angella dishes about her recent “date”, her house-sitting adventure in Los Angeles. She and her adventurous sister swapped plans for a trip to Mexico for a local escapade instead, finding joy in the simple pleasures of life in a beautiful home and area of LA with a sweet dog (it was all love!)
She described the transformative potential of house-sitting as a way to experience life in new places, both locally and abroad. The TrustedHousesitters app provides a gateway to affordable travel, new experiences and an unconventional way to embark on global adventures.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Get Angie’s eBook: We’re Too Old for This Shit! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Get ready for a Master Class that is perfectly timed to position you for financial success in the new year. This week Besties Angella and Leslie introduce you to two guests who bring a dynamic thought-provoking discussion about their upcoming webinar. Drs. Kimani Norrington-Sands and Rosche Brown are psychologists who lead the charge for Black women against toxic work environments by unlocking the secrets to financial and emotional freedom. Their upcoming Masterclass promises to arm you with tools, information and strategies to tackle the fear of leaving toxic jobs, craft personalized financial exit plans, and stride confidently toward independence.
The conversation is sprinkled with the usual Besties humor as the guests peel back the layers of identity intertwined with careers, exploring how societal pressures keep many Black women tethered to jobs that drain rather than sustain and empower.
The Masterclass is a two day (Jan 8 & 9) online webinar that will leave you ready and prepared to face the challenges of managing your money while you contemplate a career change.
This week’s episode is a treasure trove for anyone ready to reclaim their narrative, prioritize well-being, and embrace the power of financial liberation.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Get Angie’s eBook: We’re Too Old for This Shit! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Imagine navigating almost five decades of friendship without needing to explicitly say "I'm sorry". Besties Angella and Leslie give you a view of their unique connection where grace and understanding have forged a path through conflicts without the need for conventional exchange of apologies. Inspired by Malcolm Gladwell's TED Talk, "The Tipping Point I Got Wrong," they reflect on the art of apologizing and how it intertwines with accepting responsibility for being wrong.
Gladwell’s talk centers on his previous endorsement of the former NYC Police Department policy referred to as Stop and Frisk where between 2003 and 2013, over 100,000 stops were made per year. It became the subject of a racial-profiling lawsuit because 90% of those stopped were Black & Latino. In his talk, Gladwell admits that his prior comments about the policy were wrong and offers an “apology”.
Besties Angella and Leslie dissect the components of an apology and critique the common tendency to prioritize self-justification over genuine remorse. They examine their own relationship and appreciate the supportive environment they’ve cultivated over 46 years.
The Tipping Point I Got Wrong | Malcolm Gladwell | TED
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Get Angie’s eBook: We’re Too Old for This Shit! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Get out your travel docs because the Besties are taking you on a trip. Angella is beginning to realize her travel dreams of circling the world and ‘dating a city” by accepting a house-sitting opportunity on the West coast. Inspired by the Exodus Summit community and the chance to “bop around the world” (as Stephanie Perry puts it), she explains her excitement around using house and pet sitting as a chance to explore remote locations and scope out her future life living abroad.
In this episode Angella and Leslie discuss the logistics of such a move and some of the benefits that come with it- cultural immersion, living like a local and saving on the cost of luxury accommodations.
As usual, the Besties discussion turns comedic as Leslie recalls some of her international ‘adventures’- a terrifying horseback ride up a volcano in Guatemala and a recent trip to a rainforest in Costa Rica where she described thumb sized beetles flying around her head.
With plenty of humor, curiosity, and a touch of wanderlust, this episode is a vibrant invitation to consider the enriching world of house-sitting and the friendships it may forge along the way.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Get Angie’s eBook: We’re Too Old for This Shit! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
In her enlightening book The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living With Less, Christine Platt invites us to imagine a world in which we curate a life of intention free of clutter and chaos (but not the monochromatic, rigid guidelines often linked to the Euro-centric minimalism)
This week, Besties Angella and Leslie consider the question of whether embracing Afrominimalism could transform not just their living spaces, but their entire perspectives on their lives. They wonder if, as Platt suggests, downsizing may provide a path to deeper understanding and cultural empowerment and that by moving to smaller spaces that path may be made clearer.
Angella also gives us an update on an exciting house sitting opportunity that she is about to begin. She sees this trip as an opportunity to ‘date’ a new city in her quest to travel around and possibly relocate abroad.
The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living With Less by Christine Platt
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Get Angie’s eBook: We’re Too Old for This Shit! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Besties Angella and Leslie wonder why they hold on to things they don’t actually need. All the ‘stuff’ that fills their homes, their closets and too often their expensive storage units. Angella describes her painful experience with downsizing and ultimately losing items that once anchored her and her family. Leslie, on the other hand, is at the beginning of that very journey - trying to navigate moving about in multiple locations while also saying goodbye to a larger more accommodating home. They speak of the emotional toil created by the over abundance of physical possessions and how it often gives rise to a mental heaviness and unease.
As usual, the Besties weave a poignant conversation with a humorous one as they consider a “Marie Kondo” style purge to tackle the clutter they’ve accumulated over the years. They describe resisting thrift store temptations and the reality check of necessary financial restraint. They resolve to clear the physical and mental clutter that bogs them down and look forward in the next episode to a deeper examination of the psychology of consumerism, accumulation and collecting and why they find it so difficult to live a more minimalist existence.
They really did Angi very wrong! Bolton Estate Cleanout & Sales
The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living With Less by Christine Platt
ExodUS Summit 2025 - The Path Abroad for Black Women
Glamazini: How I plan my year
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Get Angie’s eBook: We’re Too Old for This Shit! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
How do you reconcile feelings of belonging and alienation in a country that seems to shift beneath your feet? This week, Besties Angella and Leslie are joined by guest Elizabeth Jenkins - the most recent honorary Bestie - as she opens up about the emotional turmoil of recent political events and the deep impact this climate has had on her mental health.
The ladies mull over the complexities of identity and the quest for peace in a society that often feels oppressive and unrelenting. They wrestle with the emotional strain of constantly being on guard, weighing the internal conflict between staying in the US to fight for change and seeking refuge in simpler, less pressured environments abroad.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/06/40-acres-and-a-lie/
Their reflections touch on the symbolism of displaying the American flag, exploring the tension between having a sense of patriarchal ownership and the exhaustion of resistance. This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube.
Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Get Angie’s eBook: We’re Too Old for This Shit! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Leslie has been feeling quite tired lately. Actually, she would say she was exhausted. It was so bad that for only the first time in more than 20 years she overslept for work. For Leslie, an anesthesiologist, oversleeping means that there is a surgeon, staff of nurses and a patient being delayed and waiting for her. She came up with what she saw as a simple solution- she would buy an alarm clock. When her bestie Angella heard of this plan, she at first listened incredulously then burst out laughing. While Leslie at first didn’t know what was so funny, the conversation that ensued turned quite serious and thought provoking.
What if an alarm clock isn’t the answer to a chaotic schedule but instead requires a closer look at how you're managing a stressful time in your life? The Besties’ banter, representing a nearly 50 year friendship, is more than just fun and games; it reveals the layers of support, grace and humor that keeps their friendship strong and resilient. Their candid conversation highlights the importance of recognizing one's limits and the power of self-care, reminding us that rest and rejuvenation are not just luxuries, but necessities.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Get Angie’s eBook: We’re Too Old for This Shit! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
What happens when your country’s political decision leaves you feeling anxious and uncertain? In this episode of Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn Angella and Leslie recount personal feelings of navigating the emotional aftermath of the 2024 US presidential election. Angella describes how she found solace in the power of community, connecting with like-minded women through a chat group, highlighting the importance of vulnerability and honesty in maintaining supportive networks.
Leslie shared that her voting strategy integrated consideration of the welfare of vulnerable populations, revealing how personal needs and preferences do not have to be divorced from what she believed to be her civic responsibility. During this particular time of stress The Besties discuss the transformative healing power of stepping out of comfort zones-to discover how small moments of joy and connection can be a lifeline amidst times and feelings of chaos.
Angella’s son Isaiah's insights on basketball serve as a metaphor for this being an opportunity for readiness and resilience, reminding us of the delicate balance between action and reflection. This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Get Angie’s eBook: We’re Too Old for This Shit! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Besties Angella and Leslie are outraged when they come across an image of a T-shirt worn by former Pittsburgh Steelers player Le’Veon Bell labeling Vice President Kamala Harris as a tramp. They discuss this offensive wardrobe choice and how it serves as a disturbing reminder of the persistent stereotypes and unrealistic expectations placed on Black women. They unpack these issues, urging a re-examination of how character and values are portrayed, especially within our own communities.
The conversation takes a deeper dive into the complexities and limitations of stereotypes, particularly those associated with Black women and political figures like Kamala Harris and how these stereotypes obscure the rich nuances of individual identities and perpetuate misleading narratives. It’s a rich conversation for sure, one that you’ll want to share with folks whose opinions you care about.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Get your copy of Angie’s eBook: We’re Too Old for This Shit! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
What if you could start a life transformation by "dating a city"? Consider that intriguing idea inspired by The Exodus Summit, a virtual conference co-founded by Stephanie Perry and Rashida Dowe designed to empower Black women to embrace the possibilities of global living. In this episode of Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn, Angella shares her experience of attending this year’s Exodus Summit, and how the event sparked a reimagining for her of life living beyond the US borders. She speaks excitedly about some of the sessions she attended and introduced Leslie to the benefits of downsizing through Christine Platt's "The Afro Minimalist's Guide to Living with Less." With the arrival of her newest niece, baby Sonia Minnette, Angella describes the rich family legacy behind the name Minette, which links to her Costa Rican ancestry- providing further impetus for her to consider Costa Rica as a possible future landing spot. As the Besties approach their two-year podcast anniversary, they find themselves in a reflective mood, revisiting the themes of personal growth and intellectual curiosity that provided the impetus to starting the podcast in the first place.
Exodus Summit: Expert advice on moving abroad NOW! | Black Women Abroad
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Besties Angella and Leslie contrast recent interviews with authors Coleman Hughes and Ta-Nehisi Coates in which they discuss their respective books dealing with racial politics, racism and identity.
In his 2024 book, The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America, Hughes discusses the possibilities and implications of a ‘colorblind’ America while in The Message, Coates describes his trips to three global regions and the chasm between written narratives and often harsh realities.
Angella and Leslie consider and contrast two recent interviews with these authors: One now viral one with Ta-Nehisi interviewed by CBS journalist Tony Dokoupil, the other was Coleman Hughes’ interview on the podcast On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti.
The episode underscores the benefit of framing questions with curiosity and respect, highlighting how the art of interviewing can either bridge or divide our grasp of contentious issues like racial and national identity or the legitimacy of political boundaries.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to reinvent yourself after decades of sticking to the same roles and routines? Besties Angella and Leslie, inspired by Dana Findwell's compelling video, "Not Too Late to Start Over: Finding Purpose After 40, 50, 60, or at Any Age," walk you through the exhilarating yet challenging experience of embracing new things at any age.
The ladies unravel some of the fears and anxieties that come with stepping into the unknown and encourage inquisitive older women to leverage their wisdom and skills as a springboard for new adventures. The conversation touches on embracing change and finding joy by venturing into the unfamiliar with boldness and curiosity.
Juiced Smoothie Bar & Spoken Word
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Listener feedback from our YouTube channel to the Bestie’s previous episode on Colorism was so engaging that Angella and Leslie felt compelled to revisit their conversation and discuss a few of the online responses. They dive deep into some of the language around colorism, for example “fair-skinned”, “good-hair” and the “one-drop rule” and wonder if such terms unintentionally uphold harmful beauty standards.
The listener comments are provocative and lend themselves to an examination of cultural perceptions and how elements of colorism are varied across global contexts. This episode promises to inspire reflection and action, especially for those eager to understand the profound dynamics of race and identity.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Angella has written a juicy and joyful eBook called “We’re Too Old for This Shit: The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to More Joy’.
It begins with a bold reminder that older women are ready and the time to put joy front & center is now:
…as mature women, we literally are too old for some of the draining things we still allow to loom large in our life.
We’re too experienced, too accomplished, too wise, too evolved, and lived too much of our lives to tolerate another day of deferring our joy…
The Book is full of expansive yet practical tips for creating a life that centers the joy - the deep well of fulfillment and satisfaction - that we’ve earned.
Women often bear the weight of familial responsibilities while sacrificing personal happiness in the process. The Besties challenge the idea of sacrifice as a badge of honor and advocate for finding joy through self-awareness. By using techniques like the "five whys," they explore how to uncover the root causes of our actions and beliefs, leading to a more personalized approach to contentment. The episode wraps up with heartwarming stories about new friendships and the value of honesty and self-awareness in personal growth. Don't miss the heartfelt practical insights on living a joy-filled life.
Order here: We’re Too Old for This Shit: The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to More Joy
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
As a child, Leslie's great-grandmother habitually scrubbed the knees and elbows of her and her siblings at bathtime in hope of banishing the darker areas of their bodies. Ouch! and WTF!
Nana Lena, born in the early 1900s, experienced first hand the societal advantages of being a Black woman with a lighter skin tone. She believed it right and proper to afford her beloved great grands the same opportunities. Judge her as you may, she was a product of her lived experience and the societal hierarchy of the time.
In this episode, The Besties take a provocative look at colorism; challenging the definition itself and the appropriateness of their role - as two less melanated Black people - to critically discuss a system where their spot on the complexion spectrum is more privileged. Should this be rightfully left to folks on the darker, more negatively impacted, side of the gradient?
Referencing a YouTube video
https://youtu.be/6a1LuxEGl9o?si=nci8mbj3CzW2ySkB
Angella and Leslie draw attention to the complex relationship between colorism and racism. Is "we're all Black people" akin to “all lives matter”? While at the same time acknowledging both their privileged and painful personal memories from the characterization of the “redbone”, “light-skin”, “fair-skin” girl.
Join The Besties for uncommon candor about usually covert conversations about colorism.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
The Besties take you on a journey back to a cherished time in their lives when they were children being doted on by their grandparents. Leslie grew up in Brooklyn in a brownstone where up to five generations lived at one time whereas Angella recalls fond early years in Jamaica being loved and cared for by her grandparents. This is a nostalgic episode full of funny memories, family dynamics and the budding cultural awareness of the 60s. They even share stories about how they each were introduced to coffee.
Angella and Leslie transition to exploring the legacies that they may be leaving for future generations and how they might want to be remembered. They conclude that as they themselves become elders they acknowledge their obligation to impart information, guidance, and pass on traditions to their families.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Back in the day (that’s in the mid-70s for Leslie & Angie), Saturday mornings meant cartoons interspersed cereal commercials and Schoolhouse Rock. Schoolhouse Rock is a series of educational cartoons with catchy songs that made learning things like science, math, and civics fun and made the information stick.
As political discourse increases around the impending 2024 election, The Besties recall a childhood where knowing civics was expected, and made easier by ditties such as “The Preamble” from Schoolhouse Rock.Those foundational lessons continue to influence their understanding of civics rights and responsibilities, and why voter suppression is a particular pet peeve.
The goal? To inspire proactive engagement and vigilance in the electoral process, emphasizing the critical role it plays at the state and local levels.
Reference links:
“The Preamble” from Schoolhouse Rock
Allen Lichtman's 13 Keys to the White House
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
The Besties celebrate rejecting societal norms and embracing their true selves.
This episode delves into the complexities of body image, especially within the Black community, and how societal and cultural perceptions shape our self-esteem.
By prioritizing joy and self-compassion over dieting, Ang has begun to experience a deeper love for her body, just the way it is, without the need to cover up or limit her wardrobe choices. Les knows how big a shift this is for Ang, and as always, roots enthusiastically for her bestie.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
This episode is a rebroadcast of a previously aired recording from 2022, around the time the Besties started their podcast. It is revisited this week as a reminder of the importance of embracing flexibility, stepping out on faith and having the courage to make life altering changes. The message remains as timely now as it had been two years ago.
Original Notes:
During a roller coaster work situation, Angella felt increasing discontent about giving a select few decision-making power over her livelihood. So she took a leap of faith into entrepreneurship. Big pivots are inherently risky but sometimes when you know, you just know. Listen again to her story about the empowerment she felt in leaving a 30 year corporate IT career. After nearly 20 years at one of the world's top tech companies she has become founder and CEO of HeadSpace NC, a beauty and advocacy company.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Can you imagine Leslie on a pommel horse? This week’s Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn kicks off with some fun banter about the speed of current events, namely the closing of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Of course The Besties have opinions. In particular about gymnast Jordan Chiles’ lost bronze medal and the performance of the Australian breakdancer Rachel Gunn.
Cultural appropriation, misappropriation, and privilege enters the conversation to take the listener deeper (because that’s what The Besties do).
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.Tags: 2024 Paris Olympics,misappropriation,appropriation,breakdancing,bronze medal,Jordan Chiles,Raygun
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Something has been nagging Ang. She just couldn’t let go of a listener's question from The Besties’ live guest spot on Dr. Kimani Norrington-Sands' @liftingasweclimbconsulting; “How do you know what your joy is?” A spark of insight surfaced during her Morning Writing and, of course, she took it to her bestie, Les.
Most people have felt at some point that they don’t quite fit in; do you tend to see a bigger goal or wonder why risks are ignored when it’s an obviously bad decision? The feeling has a consistent thread across various groups (family, friends, or colleagues, etc), time, or circumstances. Well, Ang thinks that it’s more of a knowing than a feeling, and that it may be a clue to where your joy is. As always, Les is willing to indulge her pal’s hypothesis.
In their signature style of mixing humor with insight, The Besties discuss the possibility that the feeling may be a gateway to uncovering what truly brings you joy. This episode is a celebration of the quirky and unique aspects of who you are.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Can the relentless pursuit of excellence be more performative than purposeful? In the continued conversation with NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green, the Besties inquire about Jaki’s views on the Black Excellence archetype with the hopes and realism placed on the potential of a Kamala Harris presidency. Reflecting on her personal journey and her mother's wisdom, Jaki challenges the notion of seeking external validation and illuminates the importance of finding joy in oneself. The discussion examines the societal expectations and classism that can be pervasive within Black communities, providing a nuanced critique of what excellence means today.
Jaki recounts her enriching experiences as a young creative with icons like Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, and Audre Lorde. Their mentorship and camaraderie have shaped her path, highlighting the past and present dynamics of literary communities. As traditional spaces become more fragmented, Jaki underscores the importance of creating inclusive spaces for literary expression. Additionally, she introduces us to her unique Human Museum project, which has sparked enthusiasm among her peers and challenges us to think about how we curate our own life's artifacts.
The episode wraps up with an invitation to listeners to write a letter to the curator of their own human museum, encouraging reflection on personal narratives. We celebrate Jaki's collaborative exhibit "The Communion of White Dresses" and tease the exciting possibilities of future creative retreats aimed at fostering community among Black women.
This episode is a heartfelt journey through art, history, and the creation of personally meaningful spaces.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
What happens when you blend the voices of wisdom, resilience, and poetic brilliance? You get an unforgettable episode of "Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn" featuring Jaki Shelton Green, the ninth Poet Laureate of North Carolina. In this powerful conversation, Ms Shelton Green, the first African-American and third woman to hold this prestigious title, shares her journey, inspirations, and reads her evocative poem, "Daughters of this Dust." Her words set a profound tone, inviting us into a space of reflection and empowerment.
Truth-telling takes center stage as the discussion turns to Kamala Harris's presidential candidacy and what it means for Black women everywhere. Is relocating abroad a form of escape or a quest for joy and safety? The exploration doesn't shy away from the hard questions, addressing the systemic issues of racism, sexism, and ageism that affect Black people.
Our discussion on Black Women Empowerment and Responsibility reveals the intricate connection between physical and emotional health, and how stress manifests in our bodies.
The imagery of burning fields to yield vibrant wildflowers serves as a metaphor for transformation and renewal, reminding us of the power and resilience inherent in Black women.
This episode promises not just to inform, but to inspire and galvanize action.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.