Dave Chappelle, MLK Day & the Lynn Jones Black Media Firestorm | Raised By Her

Did you know our grandmothers were best friends with Dave Chappelle’s family? We open up about our real-life connection to the comedy legend and the truth about Yellow Springs.

In this episode, we bridge the gap between generations to tackle the biggest cultural conversations of the week. We start by sharing our "freezing" experience at Podfest in Orlando and the realities of the podcasting business versus traditional broadcasting. Then, we dive deep into Martin Luther King Jr. Day, debating the sanitized version of MLK versus the radical reality of the Civil Rights movement.

Later, we discuss the recent controversy surrounding journalist Lynn Jones and her compassionate interview with the Jaguars coach—was it unprofessional, or is the media too cold? Finally, we challenge you to look at your own life: Are you evolving, or are you just repeating the same year over and over? Join us for wisdom, class, and a little bit of tea.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Freezing in Florida (The Podfest Experience)
01:48 - Broadcasting vs. Podcasting: The Business Shift
04:20 - MLK Day: Why We Can’t Just "Hold Hands"
08:25 - Was MLK Becoming Malcolm X?
11:30 - Reviewing Dave Chappelle’s New Special
15:30 - Our Personal Family Ties to Dave Chappelle
19:20 - The Truth About Yellow Springs & Gentrification
20:30 - The Lynn Jones Controversy: Compassion vs. Professionalism
24:12 - Why Black Media Is Still Fighting for Credentials
27:20 - 2016 vs. Today: Are You Better Off?
32:00 - The 10-Year Plan: Stop Stagnating
35:45 - The Power of Intergenerational Conversations

🎤 New episodes every week. Honest conversations between mother and daughter on family, womanhood, and navigating life across generations.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:08

Hi there, how are you? I'm good. How are you doing? I'm doing great. So today's episode, we're going to talk about the fact that it's Martin Luther King Day week.

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 0:18

And the fact that I have finally watched the Dave Chappelle special that came out this month and some of our connections to him and his family. Yes, yes. And then also we saw some backlash around Lynn Jones, a black reporter that was just doing her job.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

Doing her job.

SPEAKER_03 0:37

And then some. Yes. So we're going to dive a little a little bit into that as well.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

I think so. I think that's a that's a good group of topics for us to cover today.

SPEAKER_03 0:46

But before we get into all of that, you and I have had a week.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

We've had a good week.

SPEAKER_03 0:52

It was a good week, but it was a busy week. Like both of us are like, okay. Energy, vitality. Come on, let's keep it up. We were traveling together and we went to Podfest. And for those of you that don't know, Podfest is one of the largest podcast festivals in the world. And um, so we got a chance to go with our network and our audio platform and learn a bunch of different things and meet a lot of different people. We have some really cool interviews and some mini episodes coming out this week as well. So definitely like, subscribe, and follow to see some of the behind the scenes and in front of the camera about what we did at Podfast. How did you enjoy Podfast?

SPEAKER_01 1:34

I thought it was really beneficial in many ways. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed interacting with uh the participants, uh, with the people who were there to not only do the seminars, but we learned all about the business of podcasting.

SPEAKER_03 1:50

Business.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

Yes. People think, uh, well, you know, you can just go and take a microphone or take a camera or just um start doing something like this, which some people do. A lot of people started in their closet. Yeah. We did learn that, didn't we? Yes, we did. Um, however, it's a it's a business. And if you want to do it, do it well. If you want to make sure that you have uh good information, good content. If you are deciding, like we have to do video, there's a lot to this business of podcasting. A lot going on. It was good for me because it reminded me of some of the early years of broadcasting, which I shared with you.

SPEAKER_03 2:24

You met some folks, a lot of folks actually, who had had past careers in broadcasting.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Yes, yes, absolutely. And we talked about the difference between the broadcast world and the podcast world and just the um various demographics and how you have a sort of a niche audience, which you have in broadcasting, especially those of us in radio. Uh, television was a little bit broader in terms of the way that you handled audience and audience data and whether you were getting your Nielsen ratings or your Arbitron ratings, and so a lot of comparisons there. But I had I had a good time in terms of stretching my knowledge base and information sharing. We were in Orlando, Florida, and there were about 2,500 people there. And it was freezing. Well, it was freezing. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 3:12

Yeah, that was crazy. A little offensive. Well, if it's Florida, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:16

I wanted a hat and gloves.

SPEAKER_03 3:18

We needed a hat and gloves. We've been taking all the airborne and all the oxyclium and all the echinacea medicine. Yes, yes, yes, to make sure that's the money and all that. So that we remain healthy, but a good time overall.

SPEAKER_01 3:33

It was.

SPEAKER_03 3:34

I agree. Yeah, I agree. And I am so proud of you for being a part of the group of broadcasters that are continuing to innovate and evolve and not complain that the media landscape is not the same as it was 20 years ago, 50 years ago.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Well, we did talk a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_03 3:51

I mean, I'm sure we talked about it, but you know, to be a part of new media.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

Technology today, yeah, grow, change, stretch yourself. Yes. Not everybody does that. Thank you. No, I I should have to do it okay. I appreciate that. You're like, I'll take it. Yes, I will, I will take it. Hey, I'm in my 70s, you know. I can still move and still learn and still grow. So absolutely. Um, so you know, thanks be to God to just have that opportunity and to feel good about it. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

So that was last week, but today we are recording on MLK Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. And so uh what does this day mean to you?

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Living through this this era, the civil rights era, having been born in the 50s and uh gone through the civil rights movement in the 60s, uh, today I always spend some time when I'm thinking about the, excuse me, I'm sorry, the people who have dedicated their lives to making our lives better today, your life and my life, and individuals who really sacrificed to make sure that uh the rights of all people are uh not only looked at in a way that is necessary to move us forward as a society, but also really deciding to make the world a better place. And that's something that the United States of America really stands for, stood for. You know your parents were very involved in celebrating opportunities. You know that we, both uh your father and I, in our various careers, had an opportunity to grow and to learn and to do more things than our parents had. And um you're also And it didn't happen by accident.

SPEAKER_03 5:32

No, no, no, it didn't because you make the argument that everything we've had we've had to fight for.

SPEAKER_01 5:37

And continue today because uh a lot of what I thought about today and reflected on was the way our world is, especially the way that the United States is looked upon, based upon the fact that we are a nation that appears to be imploding because we are not being uh individuals uh who believe in humanitarian issues in the way that we did before. As you know, the things that are going on around this country, especially in terms of immigration and uh and all of the ice raids and people of color, people who are different, people who are um being attacked because of their cultural differences.

SPEAKER_03 6:19

Yeah, I mean, I I look at today as a day of service. And so I sometimes I do uh a service act on this day, other times I have participated in marches during this day, other times organizations put on breakfastes for this day, and then if I can be fully transparent, sometimes I take it as a day of rest based on based on whatever else I have going on in my life. But from my perspective, uh the the nature of government ebbs and flows, but democracy is not guaranteed, and so we need to continue to be involved. And if you want to continue to have your rights, then you have to fight for them.

SPEAKER_01 6:59

You have to fight for your rights. And there are a lot of people who are protesting. Uh, a part of what um what I did was go into my library and uh to pull out a book that I was given by uh a dear friend who has now passed passed away. Uh her name was Dr. Jerry McGill. She was deputy superintendent of Dayton Public Schools. And we were having a conversation many years ago about civil rights and the civil rights movement. We were in the hairdresser, as a matter of fact, you know, where ladies just where all the conversations happen. All the conversations happen. And uh she had listened to a show that I had done, and and she said, you know, uh some of the things that you were talking about reminded me of what Martin Luther King stands for in terms of just justice and how we have to be able to continue to bring to the forefront that which is real and exists today. And she said, like the letter that he wrote from the Birmingham jail. And I said, the letter he wrote she said, You don't have the book, and I said, No, I'm not familiar with that book. So then a few days later, I get in the mail a copy of King's uh letter from the Birmingham uh jail that he wrote, where he talks about our responsibilities in a uh nonviolent movement, and he was up under a lot of attack uh because he was really talking about nonviolence, and there were a lot of ministers who thought that our civil rights issues should have been fought in the court system.

SPEAKER_03 8:26

Well, I mean, he started off talking about nonviolence, but towards the end of his life, from my perspective, he became a lot more Malcolm X. Um, and you know, focus on economic issues, race issues, of course, but economic issues as well, and doing a deeper dive into what it's gonna truly take to bring equity and equality to the U.S. And so I do struggle with the broader narrative of oh, MLK is just, you know, this lovely thing and nonviolent, and we should, and it's harmony, we should all hold hands, and it's a no.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Well, you're right. It it is a no uh when he was participating um in the marches, and as time went on, and we had the bloody Sunday that took place in in Selma when we had people who were still being attacked, and we as a people were not feeling that we were moving forward in the way that we needed to move forward during the civil rights movement. I think what he was saying is there are a number of ways that we're going to have to go about fighting for our civil rights in this country. And there's a way that we need to be able to communicate that. And what the ministers were saying to him when he was in jail in Birmingham, they were saying to him, let's let the courts fight this for us. Uh we know the civil rights bill passed in 1964, Lyndon Johnson signed it. Uh, we then had the voting rights bill that uh passed in 1965. So there are a lot of ways that we had to approach this. But today, because of what we're seeing in our country, we're still fighting for the same things. And a lot of people today feel like we have really not only gone, I don't want to say we have regressed, but we have been forced to still now fight for our rights as people across the board.

SPEAKER_03 10:17

Yeah, I mean, you gotta fight for your rights.

SPEAKER_01 10:19

We gotta fight for your rights. Um, I had a a uh note from a friend who uh of mine who has been working on her self-improvement. Okay. Um, and she indicated, she sent me this note today, and I thought I would just uh probably end this part of our conversation talking about it. She said the world faces many challenges. Some are political, others are social, some are economic, and others are environmental. In all cases, humanity suffers. But the world's problems are very simple. They are the lack of love between human beings, the lack of compassion, of tolerance, of humility and acceptance. They are the ignorance, hatred, and violence that have polluted human hearts. They are the prejudice and the intolerance. If a person has no peace in their heart, there can be no peace around them. Such a person will always find reasons to argue and fight. But only when a person's own heart is peaceful can their interactions be peaceful. Amen on this MLK celebration day.

SPEAKER_03 11:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 11:20

All right.

SPEAKER_03 11:21

Well, I hope everybody has a great MLK day and that they do celebrate a day of service in the way that serves them and their communities the best. Um, all right, so then moving on to the Dave Chappelle special that now did you get a chance to watch it? Oh no, okay. All right. Well, it's called the I'm only gonna say a part of it because I don't want to curse. Um, but the unstoppable mother appreciates them. The unstoppable Negro. Okay. Um and actually I when I first turned it on, I was like, wait a minute, I've seen this before because I had actually seen him, I guess, workshop it in the cornfields, which is what he does in the summertime because he lives up the street and around the corner. Right. Um in Yellow Springs. Yellow Springs, Ohio. Yes. And so um, if any of you all have the opportunity to go out to the cornfield, I was suspicious, I was suspicious at first because I was like, I have to go to a cornfield, like I what? Um but it was a positive experience and he brought out a lot of really cool guests, and you never know which guests he's going to bring out um during those particular performances.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

You know, he started that during the pandemic. It was a way to be able to not only support the comedians, but also for them to be able to have a stage to do their work on during a time when we couldn't have the small gatherings or the larger gatherings inside.

SPEAKER_03 12:48

Yeah, that's right. And then it just grew and people just loved it. And now it now it's like an ongoing thing, which is cool. So he has that that he does, and then he has the the firehouse that he bought um that he also does performances. And I would I actually preferred the cornfield to the firehouse. But I think that's because that the firehouse is still somewhat in development. Like when I went, they still didn't have their liquor license and there were there were no seats. Do you bought anything?

SPEAKER_01 13:13

Soft drinks in the firehouse?

SPEAKER_03 13:15

I think I just I just no drinks, just um sat there and enjoyed the show. Enjoyed the show. Okay, yes, yes. And so I was like, wait a minute, I've seen this before. So I I'd seen part of it before. Okay. Um so it wasn't really my first time watching it. Um, but he started off and it reminded me. Did you come to the Mark Twain um comedy? Yes.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

I was I was at the Mark Twain event at the Kennedy Center.

SPEAKER_03 13:39

At the Kennedy Center, that's right. Okay. So we he started off by going through that experience. And so I was like, oh my god, we were there. I was like, okay, that's um, and then it was uh his typical, I would say his typical show for nowadays, which is very different than what his comedy used to be. Now it's much more storytelling with a narrative and a purpose and a message, which I love. Yes. But I have also seen a lot of critique by people who wish that he was the Dave Chappelle of back in the day. Back in the day. Yeah. And I was like, well, we all evolve and let's let's all try to get a little more sophisticated.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

I think he's not only trying to get more sophisticated, maybe, with his with the storytelling, but I think he's speaking his truth based upon the life that he has lived and things that he's experienced too. I think that's what this change and the shift is all about.

SPEAKER_03 14:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

And when you're out there in the public eye, you know people are going to criticize if you do something, if you don't do something.

SPEAKER_03 14:37

So I mean, that was a part of his message that I um am doing what I want, what I want, how I want. And that's that. He probably said a version of that actually during the uh the comedy special. So I thoroughly um enjoyed the special. And he did a nice tribute at the at the end to some folks who have passed away, which was really, really sweet and really, really well done.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

Um you were there with family though, you, your husband, your um your sister-in-law, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:05

Well, we went to the cornfields. Yeah, it's actually one of the things that I um like to do if we can get tickets, because as you can imagine, tickets sell out so fast. Right. Um, but if folks are in town, it's one of the things I like to take them to do, or that folks are interested in doing. They will come specifically for the experience of the cornfields. And so it was cool to then see it on Netflix. Like, oh, I I I watched him workshop that.

SPEAKER_00 15:28

Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 15:29

Uh, but we we know him deeper than just watching him on TV and in the cornfields.

SPEAKER_01 15:34

Relationship. Uh, actually, um, my mother, uh Rosa, who we have uh a strong um kinship to in terms of the way that she raised me and then helped to raise you. Um, so um mom was in real estate, mom and dad were in real estate, and my uh Dave Chappelle's grandmother was in real estate as well, and they were about the same size. Oh, they were tiny women? They were tiny women, and um they by tiny we we mean 4'11.

SPEAKER_03 16:03

Yes, like very sorry, yes.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

Yes. Um, yes, mom Reed was, yeah, she was she was short as well, but she thought tall. Of course. She thought tall and they became fast friends. And over the years, um, they would visit each other. And um at one point when she was in Ohio, um, they wanted to go and do something, and I had a chance to babysit with the then Dave. You know, and was he well behaved as a child? You know, people ask me, that's what I they asked me that. I honestly don't remember if he was well behaved or not, but I believe that he probably was, as well as his sisters, because if he wasn't, I think I would have one remembered that, and I wouldn't have been willing to do it again. That's fair. So um, but the fact that um we were close to the family, and so um, knowing his mother, knew his father, uh, his father was uh a professor, and so uh I had it had a chance to meet and have great conversations with uh with his dad. It was a family affair. And then you fast forward to years later when I had uh my radio station and he would would come into town uh at one of the comedy clubs or come to visit, he would come by and he would hang out and visit uh with our our jocks and uh at the radio station. And so we'd have a chance to talk. Um great person when you have a chance to do just kind of a one-on-one um with him as well, even though he's a star, he was the kind of person that would remember you in in uh those situations.

SPEAKER_03 17:38

And I'd be walking down the street sometimes in Yellow Springs and uh have a chance to to uh that's one of the cool things about him is that you can be walking down the street or you could just be in line at a coffee shop and he's yes, he's around just living his life. I think that's a part of what he enjoys about being in a smaller community versus that he can just yeah, he can just live.

SPEAKER_01 17:58

So, but I have to tell you that when um your grandmother was invited to go to one of his premieres um with her friend, his mother uh grandmother, and I said, Mommy, you're gonna go to Dave Chappelle's show. And she said yes. And I said, Have you exactly and she said, Well, if you know, if be invited me, you know, I um I'm supporting the family. Exactly. So, however. Um, after the show, I asked her, Did she enjoy it? And she said yes. And I asked her, um, was she shocked by the language? And she said, Well, I'm old enough not to be shocked by the language, but it's not kind of the language that I want to hear. I see, I see. So she enjoyed it for what it was, but then she kind of. Uh, and then later on, she was invited to one of the premieres uh of one of his movies, and I started laughing and I said, Are you available? And she said, I really want to go, but I'm not available to go. And I said, Does it have anything to do with the the language? There'll be different languages in the movie there. Yeah, that's funny. So it's just been um really a lifetime of of love and support, and we're just so proud of him and what he stands for, and the fact that he continues to be engaged in our our hometown um communities here. So he's given a lot to to this area and we appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 19:19

Yeah, I agree with that. And it's funny. In his special, he talks about that actually, his ability to come in and um, you know, he's bought up a lot of real estate uh in Yellow Springs. And so he's like, you know, if I was a white person doing this, uh, they call it gentrification, but they have no words for what I'm doing.

SPEAKER_01 19:38

What I'm doing to these people. I can tell you this. Some people were not happy.

SPEAKER_03 19:42

A lot of people, yeah. And and what's what's which is one of the reasons the liquor license has been held up.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

That's exactly right. Because they didn't want to have their small little bedroom community changed, and they really feel like that it can be or it's going to be. Very, very liberal. Uh that's where Antioch College uh is located and it's uh but had a history liberal enough to well I was going to say through the years, through the years, uh it it's changed quite a bit. Um and it is a community that has some s extremes one way or another way. So um it'll be interesting to see how it all plays out, but uh I'm reading for Dave Chappelle and his family and what they're gonna be able to do.

SPEAKER_03 20:27

Yeah, me too. So I love that. Yeah. Okay, so another thing in the news was Lynn Jones.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

Uh yes.

SPEAKER_03 20:37

What did you think when you heard that story?

SPEAKER_01 20:40

I thought, regardless of what we do, when we're an African-American woman and we're on a stage that is not the normal stage that some people want us, we're gonna be criticized. We can be criticized that we are should not be there. We can be criticized we're not professional enough, we can be criticized we don't have all the facts and figures and details. I don't care how much you have been able to accomplish in your career, someone or a group of people will always criticize you. So what we're talking about is that um she is a journalist, she's 64 years old, she's been in the field of journalism for over uh 25 years, and she I was at a sporting event and uh with the team uh of the Jaguars at NFL team, and the team lost, and the coach there um he took it hard. He took it hard, Liam Cohen, he his first year in coaching, and um this was a difficult game for them at that uh at that time because uh we really thought that they were gonna win. They've had such a good season. He's had a great season, actually.

SPEAKER_03 21:48

And um so Well, you have to talk me through this because you know with sports, I'm kind of like my eyes glaze over a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

But you know I love sports, yeah. Yes, you you yes, absolutely. And um so um as one of the wild card teams, um the Jaguars, uh, people were rooting for them to be able to win. And so we we know that they lost and that he took it hard. And so when he had a chance uh to be interviewed by Len, um instead of asking him what I consider to be the typical questions that everybody always asks, they put the microphone, well, how did you feel about that? Well, I mean, come how how do you think I felt? Right.

SPEAKER_03 22:25

You're asking me questions, you already know the answer.

SPEAKER_01 22:27

Exactly. Um, so what she chose to do was to have some compassion. And she said, I really believe that uh you're gonna have a great season next year and don't take this loss so hard, and you know, you did a great job. And she used her 30 seconds to be able to be be supportive, and she has been highly criticized.

SPEAKER_03 22:49

Yeah, and the criticism do you find the criticism shocking? Because it highly criticized for compassion and then called unprofessional for having compassion.

SPEAKER_01 23:00

It made national news. This particular story.

SPEAKER_03 23:02

Well, that's what we're talking about, otherwise we wouldn't uh I wouldn't be aware of what's happening in Jacksonville. You know.

SPEAKER_01 23:08

Yes, yes. I I was not um not completely and totally shocked that they would have something to say about her approach, because her approach was not the typical approach of a journalist. It was professional, it just wasn't typical. And part of the criticism had to do with the fact that not all of the different journalists have a chance to be able to interview the coaches. So, you know, they're they could be able to do that.

SPEAKER_03 23:36

So you have an opportunity, and this is how you choose to utilize it, was the point. Okay. Well, I mean, you get the opportunity, you utilize it how you see fit. But what she did was she spoke from the heart. And you could see the shift after like during her words and after her words, like it had a positive impact on him. Like everything was positive about the interaction until folks chimed in.

SPEAKER_01 24:00

And then she had to come back and she had to justify her questions, and she had to justify her her professionalism, and she had to justify her right to be able to speak. And so she also works for uh the black press. And there was a lot of discussion about the credentials of the black press and whether the black press should be allowed to even be in the same press core as the white press. Oh my gosh, is this the 1950s and 60s? Well, it just reminds me of just the way our world is today. And it reminds me of the things that we have had to go through and continue to go through just to have a place in the room or to be close to the stage, not even on the stage many times. And so, regardless of what you say and do, you got to keep on being you, though. You know, I believe that.

SPEAKER_03 24:47

Yeah, I mean, one of the things she's more credential than the people who were criticizing her. And I was like, isn't that life? I mean, just because I feel like that is that is usual. You know, you you hear the criticisms from people and things that you do, okay, fine. And then if you choose to dig a little deeper, you're like, really?

SPEAKER_01 25:05

She's old enough to have been through this before.

SPEAKER_03 25:08

You could tell.

SPEAKER_01 25:09

And uh, and she's going to to uh continue to do her job and to stand her ground in terms of moving it forward. But what it allowed us to do is to have some dialogue in terms of what is appropriate in the whole sports arena and what is appropriate in the locker room today, and what is the kind of question that needs to be asked on network television or for the newspapers or whatever. And I think it's whatever it is that you so desire to be able to ask the players or the coaches. I mean, the question about how did you feel about the loss or how did you feel about the win or what does this mean for your future or your career? Those are just sort of I I call them journalism one-on-one questions. Yeah, the aim should never be to be typical. Thank you. And that's the way that I feel. And I believe that she would not have been able to be successful in her career. For sure. If she had just been typical. And that's what I think some of the other journalists and sportscasters really um were not happy about. So because she wasn't playing by the rules.

SPEAKER_03 26:14

Right. Oh well, well-behaved women don't make history.

unknown 26:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 26:19

That's not my quote. I wish it was. I I borrowed that from somebody. But it's something that plays in my mind, and you know, it's the truth.

SPEAKER_01 26:26

It is the truth. And um, because I do believe that um heart is very important in terms of how people present themselves and how we professionally should be able to to move into certain areas and certain arenas, um, I I'm glad to know she spoke out for herself. Which made me think about the fact that back in when I started in in broadcasting and took some journalism classes and started out working in radio and TV, um women weren't even in the locker rooms. So it's only been sports the whole thing. Yeah. Um so now that you have several women, uh women of all colors, uh, all backgrounds, um, you have a chance to be there. And I think what you have to do is you have to know your stuff, yeah, but you also need to be able to be who you are. And and she had compassion for for the coach.

SPEAKER_03 27:16

Yeah. Well, shout out to her and her perseverance. I think being true to who she is.

SPEAKER_01 27:22

True to who she is. Yes, yes. I was watching a news story this morning, and they were talking about a lot of people are just not feeling good right now because of the state of our world, because of of of what's going on politically, because of just how people are flewing, and because we have snowstorms everywhere and because of cold and and and all of that. And so there was a lot of conversation that people were talking about the way it was 10 years ago. Uh-oh. So in 2016, um, what were you doing? Where were you? How were you doing? Um, and if you could go back 10 years, there were things a whole lot better there.

SPEAKER_03 28:00

What was the consensus for people?

SPEAKER_01 28:02

Uh a lot of people felt that uh they were uh very optimistic 10 years ago that uh our world was in a better place 10 years ago. Uh the United States still had the kind of credibility 10 years ago that it had um in in terms of uh respect. Um we were very, very optimistic about uh our future. And uh the songs were more positive and the artists were uh not as um controversial as they as they are uh today in in some instances.

SPEAKER_03 28:36

So I think that's interesting. So in 2016, what was I doing? I was transitioning, I was working on Capitol Hill. Okay, and I was entering into my last year on Capitol Hill. Um, so I started on the Hill working at the Committee on Homeland Security, and then I moved into a leadership office, and then I got went to go work for a personal office out of an Ohio members. Sure. And I was getting ready to transition from Capitol Hill to go work for multinational companies and be a lobbyist for them. And but being in government in the way that I was, I think people's no, you mentioned a couple different things. You were like, you know, the music and everything. I can't remember the music, but I do remember the conversations in government. Okay. Um, and I am not on Capitol Hill right now, thank God. As a staffer, you know. Um but I mean the tea leaves were there. They were, you know, and so it's it's the the shifts were were happening, whether people were aware of it or not. So the people who are shocked by the state of the government now or shocked by the state of society now, I would just kind of implore folks to to pay attention and to read and to lean into credible news sources and and others too.

SPEAKER_01 30:11

Not not yes, credible news sources, but make sure you know the other side of the dialogue so that you have not only the what's real and what's true, but also your understanding how to be able to present, I think, um, the opposition or the Yes, be holistic in your approach.

SPEAKER_03 30:32

That's right. Yes, if you can only understand your position, then you're not going to be solution-oriented. That's right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:40

So I think that that's really important.

SPEAKER_03 30:41

So what were you doing in 2016?

SPEAKER_01 30:43

Oh, that's when I was CEO of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. And so we were um doing some traveling around the around the country, around the world for the modern contemporary dance company. I think we were embracing art and culture to to be an agent of change. We were talking about uh black dance from the standpoint of not only the self-expression, but the fact of the the history of black dance. And we were planning some conferences and everything to be able to celebrate young people and their self-expression in terms of that.

SPEAKER_03 31:17

Very cool.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:18

So I don't think, I mean, me personally, I understand people's um uh I don't want to call it devastation, but I can I can understand people not feeling great about the state of the world now. But I can say for me personally, um, I was excited the start of 2026, and I remain um excited, regardless of of what else is kind of going on. I mean, the world is the world. You do what you can with what you have, where you are, and then you just keep it moving. Right.

SPEAKER_01 31:46

And that's what you have to do. You have to have your own roadmap, your own game plan, your own way that you're going to navigate. But you also, to your point earlier, you have to know your history, but also know what the possibilities are. So, in the same story that where they were talking about people reflecting on 10 years ago and how um many people actually responded, I think it was on TikTok they were talking about uh the world 10 years ago. There was a conversation about what are you doing differently in your life today that you said you were going to do, or or how have you expanded yourself, or how have you done something different?

SPEAKER_03 32:25

So are you living outside of your comfort zone?

SPEAKER_01 32:27

That's exactly right. That is exactly right.

SPEAKER_03 32:28

What an excellent question.

SPEAKER_01 32:30

And so uh and so the challenge is out there for um for our listeners to be able to think about that. Because if you're not intentional in terms of moving it forward, then you can be doing the same thing, complaining about the same thing, living the same kind of life, and everything else is just going on around you.

SPEAKER_03 32:47

Yeah. Literally my worst nightmare. Honestly, to be doing the same thing that I was doing 10 years ago or even five years ago. Like I just um no, no, thank you. But everybody's journey is different, and everybody's pace is different, and everybody's dealing with different circumstances.

SPEAKER_01 33:06

I do understand that, but yes, but that's why we we talk about not only moving your life forward, but having a life plan. It's sort of I I've mentioned before that uh my doctor is a gerontologist where she really deals with a lot of people who are aging. And one of the complaints that her patients generally have is what they wish they had done. And so she says, Well, okay, what we're gonna deal with now is what you can do and how it's going to look different for you in the future if you do these certain things. And then she asked me, What is your your 10-year plan?

SPEAKER_03 33:45

Did you have an answer for her? Or you're like, I will get back to you.

SPEAKER_01 33:48

I said, I'll no, I didn't I didn't have an answer to our follow-up appointment. I will. I said I'm going to get back to you on that because I'm going to sit down and and figure it out. Good for you. And I am going to be very intentional about making sure that I share that, not only with you, Doctor, but also with some people who are close to me and people who are around me. And so that is a part of what I think um you do for me having moved back home. And uh you and your husband are are very loving and kind and inclusive, but it gives me a chance to be able to participate in things in this world that I might not have a chance to participate in uh in some ways. But then I also search out things to do.

SPEAKER_03 34:29

Yeah, you're a willing participant, you're an easy participant because we've we've talked about that. I mean, our our inclusiveness is because we love you, obviously, but also um there's a a mutual desire to experience more life, period, you know, on both ends. And so it's a it's a yes. It's a okay, yeah, I want to try it. Yeah, I want to go. It's not, you know, do you want to do this no, no, you know, 5,000 no's before we get to a yes.

SPEAKER_01 34:55

Right, right. Well, one of the things that we mentioned uh the podcast that we attended, one of the things that several people talked to me about was how wonderful it would be to do a podcast with their daughters, but their daughters wouldn't do it or they wouldn't feel comfortable doing. And I go, I said, why? Why not? And they said, well, either they would be uh afraid of camera or they wouldn't want to expose some of the problems and and challenges that we have, or our relationship is not that good. I mean, there were answers, uh, but they were talking about how cool it was for us to be able to do this and do it together. And I said, I feel very blessed and it's exciting, and I think it's one of the greatest things in the world that I've had a chance to do in my life. So thank you.

SPEAKER_03 35:41

Oh, that's so sweet. I appreciate that. You know, as you were talking, I was thinking about one of the experiences I had when I was younger. So um you and my father made me volunteer all throughout high school, and in addition to having jobs. Right. And so I remember, I don't know, like when in the year I had to decide what it is I wanted to do. And so they were like, You you love animals. So do you want to go volunteer in a pet shelter? Or uh, you know, you enjoy being really active. Do you want to go uh volunteer at like a recreation? And I was like, with the kids to know, and so but I decided to go uh volunteer nursing homes. Nursing homes, that's right. And you were like, okay. But one of the coolest things about that is that I got a chance to talk to the residents who were older. And so when you talk about this, like your doctor talking about having no regrets, I think I got that lesson early because I was able to have those conversations early. And it was one of the pieces of advice that that the residents would give me, which is like go off and live.

SPEAKER_01 36:44

The opportunity to to do that was uh one that I'm really glad that you said yes to when we were sort of laying out. But I don't know that I had a choice. Well, you didn't have a choice not to have a choice to not volunteer, but you did have a choice at which place that you that you chose. I I just thought it was necessary. You needed to learn volunteerism, you needed to be able to spend your time doing some other things that uh needed to be done, and you also needed to be able to to grow in a way that you would not be able to maybe have time later in life. So I was really trying to be intentional about that as well. But the the fact of the matter is, I feel like I learned so many lessons from the elders in my family.

SPEAKER_03 37:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:30

And I learned so many lessons from being around older people and sitting and just having those conversations. Uh, and and so the more exposure you could have, I think the better off you are, and the better off young people are. And you learn how to be able to interact with the aging population too.

SPEAKER_03 37:51

And I mean, those are the demographics of the US right now. I mean, it's an aging population. Yeah. The power of intergenerational relationships, I don't think, can be overstated. And to your point, just as much as I and my generation learn from you all, you all learned just as much from us. That's right. And so it's very mutually beneficial, and it's just a very cool thing, both personally and professionally. I absolutely agree. Yeah. So that's good.

unknown 38:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 38:19

Well, thank you, my dear. Thank you for another great conversation, and thank you all for listening and watching. And please feel free to like and subscribe and continue to live a life you love to. We'll see you next time. Bye.

SPEAKER_00 38:46

She's got wisdom, she's got sex, she's got questions, she's got that voice.