HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’l

Processing Grief

The timeline for grief is not standardized. We all journey through it in our own ways. In this episode, TMLG talks with Neysa Taylor, an author and leader in the communications field who recently lost her husband of 17 years, Chris, after his long battle with cancer. The two talked about the ways grief has shown up for Taylor and how she has chosen to help herself and her children navigate it. They also explore how grief shapes us as we try to prepare for a world that’s different from the one we knew before our loss.

Visit Neysa online at: www.neysataylor.com

HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story

Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.com

IG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtracey

FB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

Participating in Your Own Healing: What does wellness really mean to the entrepreneur/creative?

In this episode of HeARTtalk, Tracey Michae’l talks with entrepreneur/influencer/speaker and all around dope woman, Dawn Fitch, Founder and President of Pooka Pure and Simple, a handmade bath and body products company based out of New Jersey. The conversation deep dives into the power of persistence and what it means to advocate for your own wellness. Dawn talks about her journey from graphic designer to entrepreneur/wellness guide to thousands of women, and how she transformed a devastating MS diagnosis into her life’s passion and work.

Visit Dawn online at: IG: @pookalita, Facebook: @thebestlifetribewithdawnfitch, www.pookapureandsimple.com

HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story

Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.com

IG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtracey

FB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

LEAVING CORPORATE: Finding Peace in the Pivot

In our SEASON TWO opener, Tracey Michae’l talks with Michelle Richard about what it means to find peace after leaving her lucrative corporate career. As an attorney and former C-suite corporate executive for a billion dollar company, the list of Michelle’s accolades is long. But what happens when the concessions and compromises one has to make to reach that level of power and success become too much? Well…you pivot. And you do so with fierceness and grace. That’s what Michelle did and HeARTtalk is grateful that she shares a bit of her sojourn with us.

HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story

Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.com

IG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtracey

FB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

BONUS - “Catching” Your Breath in the COVID Crisis: A Meditation

There’s so much going on right now. So much uncertainty. Sorrow and frustration is seeping into our souls. As we sit with these emotions, we must remember to breathe. Breathing is how we live through it. COVID-19 is trying to steal our breath…physically for some, emotionally and spiritually for others. Let’s reclaim it. Our stories are not finished.

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Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.com

FB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

IG: @hearttalkwithtracey

 

Black Women Professors Creating Space in Academia

The final episode of season 1 of HeARTtalk is a dynamic one! Tracey Michae’l facilitates a roundtable discussion with Black women professors who share their stories on what it means to create space and be authentic in Academia. The conversation covered a myriad of topics including how and why being unapologetically black can be a struggle. How being an advocate for the marginalized in a way that isn’t denigrating to those groups is too often challenged in a way that doesn’t make sense. And of course, the ever-present bureaucracy that shows up in so many large organizations. It can be hard to fly with some of those weights but these women candidly speak to what it means to fly anyway.

Featuring:  

Dr. Debonair Oates-Primus, Assistant Professor of English at Community College of Philadelphia

Dr. Nakeiha Primus-Smith, Associate Professor of Education at Millersville University

Lucia Gbaya-Kanga, Assistant Professor of English at Community College of Philadelphia.

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Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story and how we use that space to create work and a life for ourselves. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.com

Creating Creatively: When the Vision is Bigger Than Your Budget

In episode 9 of HeARTtalk, Tracey Michae’l chats with writer, director, and producer, Christina Faith. Christina is a dynamic filmmaker and educator who, along with her spouse, photographer Allen Johnson, owns Creative Thought Media, a Philadelphia-based independent production company and artist collective. TMLG and Christina discuss the challenges of being a Christian filmmaker who doesn’t tell “corny” stories; the role that a creator’s own personal healing journey can have on their work; and how to manage grind culture. Christina goes IN on the false validation that too many artists seek instead of investing in the development of their craft. A great conversation you don’t want to miss!

Visit Christina on social media @christinafaith and CTM at www.creativethoughtmedia.com 

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Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit TMLG and HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.com 

Sex and the Church Girl: Has the Church Misinformed Women on Sex and Sexuality?

In this episode, TMLG speaks with four of the 11 contributors to the Sex and the Church Girl essay collection published in 2019. The conversation is a no holds barred, candid talk about the ways in which the Christian Church—particularly the Black Church—navigates the subject of sex and sexuality. (Please note that because of the room where this taped, there are some minor tech issues with sound--apologies!)

Participants include: author, speaker, and minister, Candace Wilkins, scholar Dr. Felecia Commodore, writer Rainah Chambliss, and artist and family/behavioral health therapist, Cyndi Swinton-Jackson. The conversation that took place was a candid exploration of how sex has (or not)  been taught by the Christian Church—more specifically, the Black Church—and the ways in which those gaps in progressive dialogue have informed the sexuality of women.

Purchase your copy of Sex and the Church at www.nsbooksandmedia.com or wherever books are sold. 

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Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.com 

Returning to the Body: Living Through Racial Trauma and Violence (with Meditation)

In her commentary, Tracey Michae’l discusses the impact of racial trauma and violence on the physical bodies of Black and Brown people. She candidly shares her own story of learning to return to her body through EMDR and bodywork. This episode closes with a meditation for Black people navigating a world often bent on their dehumanization.

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Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.com 

From Story to Story: Unraveling Truth from the Narrative (Pivot Series #1)

In this episode, Tracey Michae’l talks with writer, producer, and artistic theologian, Alexus Rhone, about the power of holding true to the enormity of our dreams and being willing to pivot in the name of writing a better story for our lives.  Telling the stories of our heart—whether its a novel, a memoir, a poem, or a chat with a friend—is a revolutionary act and part of finding our authentic voices is understanding that one of the ways we heal is by removing the masks we’ve crafted. First though, we must trust ourselves enough to “lean into the wild.”

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Alexus Rhone is a writer, producer, artistic theologian and "revolutionary artist" devoted to candidly exploring the power of story through fiction, story-slams, and page-to-stage productions. She has over 20 years of experience working in the private/corporate sector customizing workshops and branded events, and coaching creative and true, first-person storytellers for live events.

Visit Alexus Rhone at www.alexusrhone.com 

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Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.com 

The Creation of Better Humans (Parenting) and the Stories That Help Us Do It...or Not

In this episode, TMLG talks with Angela Johnson Ayers about how parenting, and motherhood specifically, can be an act of creation, and how too often our own narratives impact the effectiveness of that important work. 

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Angela Johnson Ayers is a wife, mother, author and consultant.  With a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Gannon University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Penn State University, she has over 20 years’ experience working in the Political, Corporate, and Education arena as a Policy Analyst, Program Supervisor and Middle School Principal to name a few.  Angela creates and facilitates interactive workshops targeting Professional Development & Best Practices, Academic Success, Career Coaching, Self-Esteem, and Life Transitioning Techniques for organizations, schools, churches, individual and corporate agencies. After becoming a mother 11  years ago, she endured various pitfalls numerous new moms encounter, such as postpartum depression and anxiety.  In her own journey to mental wholeness, Angela began a Podcast, Blog and YouTube Channel as a means to reach other mothers and give them a place to vent, share and receive encouragement.  One of Angela’s books, Laughter Pills for Moms, A 31 Day Supply provides funny antidotes about parenting, marriage and daily life as a mom. Angela’s true passion is using her life experiences and knowledge and becoming a bridge for others to grasp hope, insight and laughter from.  She does this through her podcast, The Bridge Building With Angela Podcast which can be found on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio, & Spreaker, and her YouTube Channel, The Bridge Building With Angela Channel.

When Angela is not sitting in carpool lines or transporting their two daughters to every place imaginable, she enjoys quiet North Carolina evenings with her husband Larry, relaxing and listening to jazz. 

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Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.com