In this episode, Zanetia Henry, CEO of Operation Recovery, and Dr. Veirdre Jackson, CEO/Founder of Living Strong Consulting, LLC, discuss how their personal challenges and tragedies led to their spiritual growth and their desire to educate and empower the masses, even in this political climate.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 Welcome. I'm Erik Fleming, host of A Moment with Erik Fleming, the podcast of our time.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 I want to personally thank you for listening to the podcast.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:12 If you like what you're hearing, then I need you to do a few things.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:19 First, I need subscribers. I'm on Patreon at patreon.com slash amomentwithericfleming.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:24 Your subscription allows an independent podcaster like me the freedom to speak
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 truth to power, and to expand and improve the show.
00:00:28 --> 00:00:32 Second, leave a five-star review for the podcast on the streaming service you
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 listen to it. That will help the podcast tremendously.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:41 Third, go to the website, momenteric.com. There you can subscribe to the podcast,
00:00:42 --> 00:00:47 leave reviews and comments, listen to past episodes, and even learn a little bit about your host.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:51 Lastly, don't keep this a secret like it's your own personal guilty pleasure.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:57 Tell someone else about the podcast. Encourage others to listen to the podcast
00:00:57 --> 00:01:02 and share the podcast on your social media platforms, because it is time to
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 make this moment a movement.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:10 Thanks in advance for supporting the podcast of our time. I hope you enjoy this episode as well.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:16 The following program is hosted by the NBG Podcast Network.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:55 Music.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:01 Hello, and welcome to another Moment with Erik Fleming. I am your host, Erik Fleming.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:09 And today I have two women who are faith leaders, but not in a traditional sense.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:12 They're not ministers. They're not preachers.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:17 But it is obvious that the work that they do is driven by their faith.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:26 They are both repairers of the breach, and one deals with violence in the community
00:02:26 --> 00:02:27 and trying to minimize that.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:34 And the other one deals with coaching, building up leaders and,
00:02:34 --> 00:02:40 and, and helping people become better, better versions of themselves.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:47 Yeah, that's a good way to put it. And so it's really was my honor to interview both of them.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:52 And I hope that you get something out of those interviews as well.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:58 Yes, we are still trying to get 20 subscribers, so please go to patreon.com
00:02:58 --> 00:03:02 slash momentericfleming and go ahead and do that.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:07 If you like what we're doing, if you like the guests that I'm having come on,
00:03:08 --> 00:03:14 the political commentary, whatever, just go ahead and go to Patreon and subscribe.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:20 As we stated before, this is just a way to make sure that I'm still able to
00:03:20 --> 00:03:27 do what I need to do and continue to bring quality people like these two ladies before you.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:34 So it is, I guess, a very interesting time.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:42 As always, it seems like whenever I do this and I'm going to address a couple
00:03:42 --> 00:03:48 of things near the end that kind of caught my attention and caught the nation's attention.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:55 So I'll offer my takes on that. But as always, it's time to kick off this podcast
00:03:55 --> 00:04:00 and we kick it off with a moment of news with Grace G.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:07 Music.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:11 Thanks, Erik. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:15 Had obliterated Iran's nuclear sites in coordinated strikes with Israel,
00:04:15 --> 00:04:20 leading to Iranian retaliation with missile strikes on a U.S. air base in Qatar.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:25 Prior to attending the NATO summit, President Trump announced a complete and
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 total ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:33 New York state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani is on track to win New York City's Democratic
00:04:33 --> 00:04:37 mayoral primary against former Governor Andrew Cuomo. U.S.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:42 Representative LaMonica McIver pleaded not guilty to federal charges of assaulting
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 agents outside an immigration detention center in New Jersey.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:50 The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to resume deporting
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 migrants to third-world countries
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 without providing them an opportunity to express potential harms.
00:04:56 --> 00:05:01 Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist,
00:05:01 --> 00:05:07 vowed to continue his activism after being released on bail from immigration detention. A U.S.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:12 Judge ordered the release on bail of Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, a migrant who was
00:05:12 --> 00:05:17 wrongfully deported to El Salvador and later returned to the U.S. A U.S.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:21 Appeals court allowed Donald Trump to maintain control of California's National
00:05:21 --> 00:05:25 Guard, while Governor Gavin Newsom pursues a lawsuit challenging the president's
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 use of troops to quell protests in Los Angeles.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:34 A whistleblower complaint alleges that Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official
00:05:34 --> 00:05:38 nominated for an appellate judgeship pressured department attorneys to disregard
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 court orders and carry out mass deportations.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:46 A federal appeals court in Louisiana blocked a state law that would have required
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:54 A new Georgia State Commission dismissed a complaint against Fulton County District
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 Attorney Fani Willis regarding open records.
00:05:57 --> 00:06:01 And a suspect in the May bombing of a California fertility clinic,
00:06:01 --> 00:06:04 Daniel Park, died in federal custody.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:09 I am Grace G., and this has been a Moment of News. Music.
00:06:10 --> 00:06:15 Music.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:20 All right. Thank you, Grace, for that moment of news. And now it is time for
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 my guest, Zanetia Henry.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:29 Zanetia Henry, a native of Waynesboro, Mississippi, holds and operates under many titles,
00:06:29 --> 00:06:36 some of which are CEO of Operation Recovery, Inc., Cobb County Violence Reduction
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 Initiative Coordinator for Voices of Black Mothers United,
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 Certified Grief Hope Coach,
00:06:43 --> 00:06:47 motivational speaker, victim's advocate, state-certified educator,
00:06:48 --> 00:06:51 and a life licenses agent.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:56 But of all these titles, the two most cherished are Gigi and Ma.
00:06:57 --> 00:07:01 Zanetia was blessed with two beautiful children who in return blessed her with
00:07:01 --> 00:07:02 three amazing grandchildren.
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 She is graced with the opportunity to hold her daughter and grandchildren in
00:07:06 --> 00:07:11 her arms, But unfortunately, she can now only hold her unforgettable king,
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 DreCharles Henry, in her heart.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:19 Operation Recovery was organized with a mission to serve and support parents
00:07:19 --> 00:07:24 and children in estranged relationships in January of 2019.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:29 April of 2019, after the murder of her 22-year-old son, Dre,
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 the mission dug deeper and grew wider.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:39 Being a solution-driven person, Zanetia knew she had to use her pain to fuel her purpose.
00:07:39 --> 00:07:46 Operation Recovery provides support for grieving parents, advocates for stopping
00:07:46 --> 00:07:52 violence in the community, and provides opportunities for youth to serve in
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 underserved communities.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:59 The foundation of Zanetia's work is unity and love. She believes these two core
00:07:59 --> 00:08:03 values will bring an end to violence and restore the village.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:08 Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor and privilege to have as a guest
00:08:08 --> 00:08:12 on this podcast, Zanetia Henry.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:24 Music.
00:08:24 --> 00:08:28 Zanetia Henry. How are you doing, sister? You doing good?
00:08:29 --> 00:08:36 I'm doing great. How are you today? Well, I'm doing fine, and I am honored to have you to come on.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:42 And I understand congratulations on order that you can now be called Dr.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 Henry, whether you want to or not.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:49 Thank you. Yeah, that was pretty cool seeing that happen.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:55 All right, so we're going to go ahead and get this started. and how I usually
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 start the interviews is with some icebreakers.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:06 So the first icebreaker is a quote. And that quote is, I didn't choose this journey.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 This journey chose me.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:15 However, I can choose how I travel. I choose to travel hand and heart with others
00:09:15 --> 00:09:21 that have been chosen while serving along the way. What does that quote mean to you?
00:09:22 --> 00:09:30 What that quote means is life and the choices of others affected me in a way
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 that redirected my entire life.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:39 And because of that, I didn't have a choice about that.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:46 That was the decision and the way that the path went. but I don't have to allow
00:09:46 --> 00:09:54 what happened in my life to cause me not to be able to continue to live.
00:09:55 --> 00:09:58 Some things in life we don't have a choice about.
00:09:58 --> 00:10:03 Things happen, but we do have a choice about how we deal with it,
00:10:03 --> 00:10:07 how we handle it, how we live through it.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:14 So we make those choices. And I choose for this journey to connect with other
00:10:14 --> 00:10:20 people who have been snatched onto this journey, similar to mine or just like mine.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:26 I choose to walk hand and heart with them, meaning showing hope,
00:10:26 --> 00:10:35 love, vulnerability, and just compassion and being there as a support and looking
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 to others that are like me for support.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:44 Yeah. All right. So the next icebreaker is what we call 20 questions.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:48 So I need you to give me a number between one and 20.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:55 Five. OK. Why do you think we should decide at.
00:10:55 --> 00:11:00 Oh, let me rephrase that. What do you think we should decide at the local or
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 state levels versus federal?
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 What do you think we should decide?
00:11:07 --> 00:11:12 As far as like what policies, you know, what what issues.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:21 Well, at the local and the state level, I feel like the policies and things
00:11:21 --> 00:11:29 that are decided upon should be focused mainly on the voices.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:36 And that's in every area, whether it's gun violence or whether it is drugs or
00:11:36 --> 00:11:42 whatever policy they're looking at or whatever it is that they want to change or however it is.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:49 I feel like the main deciding factor should be from the voices of those that
00:11:49 --> 00:11:57 are actually affected by it should be the voices of those that are that have
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 been impacted by it. Okay.
00:12:00 --> 00:12:08 All right. So you are the CEO of Operation Recovery and the national lead for
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 Voices of Black Mothers United.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:15 Talk about those organizations to educate the listeners.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:22 So Operation Recovery is a nonprofit organization that we started in January of 2019.
00:12:23 --> 00:12:31 And we started with the foundation of reuniting parents or being the intercessor
00:12:31 --> 00:12:35 between parents and children who had estranged relationships.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:40 Helping parents to see the child side and child helping to see the parent side.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 Just bringing that back together again.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:46 Helping parents who have lost the relationships with those children.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:52 In April of 2019, we were catapulted into a deeper area when we experienced
00:12:52 --> 00:12:58 the murder of our son, the physical loss of our son.
00:12:58 --> 00:13:04 So we begin to be that person or that organization that supports grieving parents.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 We advocate for stopping violence in the community.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:14 We help to try to build a bridge and bring unity in the community and build
00:13:14 --> 00:13:21 the bridge of communication and understanding between law enforcement and the community as well.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:27 One of our major foundations or that we think about or that we operate from is unity.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:35 It's going to take everybody united together to end whatever it is that we're dealing with.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:40 And in our case, you know, it's gun violence. So preparation recovery,
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 like I said, we hold support groups.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:49 We have different sessions for moms. We have different sessions for fathers
00:13:49 --> 00:13:57 where we have siblings we support. We provide, you know, financial support at school.
00:13:58 --> 00:14:02 Specific levels. So basically, like I said, just supporting.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:08 We also provide mentorship for our youth in the preventative areas.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:15 So with Voices of Black Mothers United, which basically we have basically the
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 same, somewhat the same missions,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:24 but with Voices of Black Mothers United is an initiative of the Woodson Center out of Washington, D.C.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:30 We were united with or connected to Voices of Black Mothers United in 2022,
00:14:30 --> 00:14:34 when we became the Mississippi State Lead.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:39 This is an initiative through the Woodson Center that brings mothers together
00:14:39 --> 00:14:47 across the nation, operating in over 23 states, and their state leads for each state.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:51 This initiative gives mothers
00:14:51 --> 00:14:55 like me a voice where we
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 focus on building they focus
00:14:58 --> 00:15:01 on building the operation the the
00:15:01 --> 00:15:05 organization i'm sorry i lost my thought but voice the black mothers united
00:15:05 --> 00:15:12 focuses on building mothers organizations and giving mothers a voice where we
00:15:12 --> 00:15:19 wouldn't have had a voice because we're not high profile parents who have lost
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 children to gun violence.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:26 We're not connected to mass shootings or anything like that. So just.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:34 Grassroots organizations that's trying to make a difference and using our pain to push purpose.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:40 So some of the initiatives or the focus of Voices of Black Mothers United is
00:15:40 --> 00:15:46 supporting positive policing and advocating for peace,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:50 advocating for stopping violence in our communities as well.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:55 So basically, those are some of the things that we do.
00:15:55 --> 00:16:00 But Voice of Black Mothers United is a national initiative.
00:16:02 --> 00:16:05 So what does the term VILOMAH mean?
00:16:06 --> 00:16:12 VILOMAH means a parent who has lost a child.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:18 Most of the time we will hear where people will say a wife who has lost a husband
00:16:18 --> 00:16:21 is a widow. A husband who has lost a wife is a widower.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:25 A child with no parent is an orphan.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:31 But we often hear people say there is no name for a parent who has lost a child.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:38 But doing just looking and doing some digging, some research,
00:16:38 --> 00:16:43 there has been a name that was developed for parents who have lost children.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 And our title would be Vilomah.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 And that's from sanskrit from what
00:16:50 --> 00:16:53 i understand yes yeah okay
00:16:53 --> 00:16:56 that was the first time i was just looking at
00:16:56 --> 00:17:01 it i said huh i had never heard that term before so i i wanted you to share
00:17:01 --> 00:17:06 that with the audience because there might be some people listening that that
00:17:06 --> 00:17:12 need to understand that there is a name or a term that can be used so and you
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 kind of touched on a little bit when you explain to organizations,
00:17:15 --> 00:17:19 but recently you honored some police officers in the community.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 Why was that important for you to do?
00:17:22 --> 00:17:28 That was important for me to do because, like I said before, it takes everybody.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:34 I know that, you know, there's controversy about police and this and that,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:43 but just like you can't put me into a category with a lot of people that look like me,
00:17:43 --> 00:17:46 we can't put everybody into one category
00:17:46 --> 00:17:49 we can't judge one person or two people
00:17:49 --> 00:17:53 because of other people's decisions so
00:17:53 --> 00:18:00 what I felt was important and and this is also part of what we do through Voices
00:18:00 --> 00:18:07 of Black Mothers United as well but we feel as if we should honor those that
00:18:07 --> 00:18:12 are really trying and those that are really in the streets,
00:18:13 --> 00:18:17 in the communities, trying to build those positive relationships.
00:18:17 --> 00:18:21 Positively policing, not just.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:26 Policing, but trying to get to know the communities that they are policing.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:33 And these individuals understand that it's about building a relationship with
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 the community that you are assigned to,
00:18:36 --> 00:18:41 understanding that these people have rights, understanding that these people
00:18:41 --> 00:18:47 have needs, and understanding that things are not always what they seem.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:54 But getting these police officers put forth an effort, give up their personal
00:18:54 --> 00:19:00 time a lot of times to make sure that they are connected and understanding the
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 people that they are there for.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:05 Not just showing up when something is happening,
00:19:05 --> 00:19:10 something is wrong, but they are putting forth a major effort to,
00:19:10 --> 00:19:14 I think the what I'm looking for is recreate or
00:19:14 --> 00:19:18 the image rewrite the
00:19:18 --> 00:19:24 end of that that story that says all police are bad because all police are not
00:19:24 --> 00:19:29 bad yeah yeah I definitely can relate to that I don't know if I talked to you
00:19:29 --> 00:19:35 about this before but you know I've I've got a background in law enforcement and,
00:19:35 --> 00:19:40 You know, that's one of the things that I try to stress, even if I'm critical about the police.
00:19:42 --> 00:19:48 Having worn a badge, I understand that there were there's a lot more good officers
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 than there are bad officers.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:56 You know, it's just my crusade is to get the bad ones out. That's all I'm trying to do is get the bad.
00:19:57 --> 00:20:02 Yeah. Now, we're not supporting that that bad behavior. We are totally against
00:20:02 --> 00:20:09 police brutality. We don't agree with that at all, but we also still know that
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 everybody's not like that. All of them are like that.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:19 And also, we feel it's important to rebuild that communication and that connection,
00:20:19 --> 00:20:23 that bridge between law enforcement and the community, because the community
00:20:23 --> 00:20:27 needs to understand that we have a responsibility as well.
00:20:27 --> 00:20:33 Police officers can't do what they need to do without us, and we can't do what
00:20:33 --> 00:20:36 we need to do without them. Everybody needs everybody.
00:20:37 --> 00:20:44 Yeah. So give me an example of love and action as it relates to the work that you're doing.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:49 Love and action means I'm not just going to sit on this podcast with you and
00:20:49 --> 00:20:52 talk about how unity is important.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:55 I'm putting my boots on the ground and I'm going
00:20:55 --> 00:20:58 to get out there and I'm going to host events that
00:20:58 --> 00:21:01 bring people together I'm going to create
00:21:01 --> 00:21:04 programs that show our youth how
00:21:04 --> 00:21:10 important it is to Love themselves and to love others and to regulate their
00:21:10 --> 00:21:18 emotions and to Make wise choices I'm going to go into the schools and share
00:21:18 --> 00:21:22 our story of how we lost our son to gun violence,
00:21:22 --> 00:21:25 but we can work together to put an end to that.
00:21:26 --> 00:21:31 That's what love and action means. I'm not just loving my children,
00:21:31 --> 00:21:39 my son that I brought into the world, but I am loving every child and giving
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 them every child that I come in contact with,
00:21:42 --> 00:21:48 giving them the opportunity to learn how to, like I said, regulate their emotions
00:21:48 --> 00:21:50 and make wise decisions,
00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 handle those conflicts in a peaceful way.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:56 I'm not just going to love my community with
00:21:56 --> 00:22:00 words I'm going to love my community By getting
00:22:00 --> 00:22:03 in the center of that community And providing
00:22:03 --> 00:22:06 what may be needed If it's
00:22:06 --> 00:22:09 financial literacy Then we're going to figure out programs
00:22:09 --> 00:22:13 Or we're going to provide programs That's going to give the community financial
00:22:13 --> 00:22:19 literacy That will help to lift some of that stress and strain as well So love
00:22:19 --> 00:22:26 and action means I'm not just going to sit and talk about what I'm doing and say that I love you,
00:22:26 --> 00:22:30 I'm going to put into action and try to meet your needs.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:37 Yeah. On your Instagram page, you list out rights that survivors of crime have.
00:22:38 --> 00:22:42 What more can public policy do to protect those rights?
00:22:43 --> 00:22:49 Policy, I really honestly feel like it's on the right track when it comes to that.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:55 We, in April, it is National Crime Victims' Rights Week.
00:22:55 --> 00:23:02 So bringing light to the rights that survivors of crime have,
00:23:02 --> 00:23:06 I feel like what could be done more with that?
00:23:08 --> 00:23:17 Support that mission. Support that push to make sure that we are grassroots
00:23:17 --> 00:23:22 organizations and different other organizations that are actually trying to
00:23:22 --> 00:23:26 get that word out and to help survivors understand,
00:23:26 --> 00:23:28 be supportive of that,
00:23:28 --> 00:23:34 knowing that it's important for people to know what happens next.
00:23:34 --> 00:23:42 And having the financial support and having the platforms to be able to express
00:23:42 --> 00:23:50 that and do what we need to do in order to make sure those survivors know what rights they have.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:54 That's what I feel could really be more.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:58 In April, we have the National Crime Victims' Rights Week,
00:23:59 --> 00:24:06 but I feel like every month we can, And, you know, just being able to do more
00:24:06 --> 00:24:12 every month to show these survivors and provide these survivors with the rights that they have.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:15 Yeah. And it's listening to you. I was thinking.
00:24:16 --> 00:24:21 So you basically want to see some action, some love and action from some of
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 these elected officials.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:28 I fear Who has the biggest role In making sure A neighborhood Or community is
00:24:28 --> 00:24:33 safe The residents Or law enforcement And government And why.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:39 To be honest, I think the roles are equal.
00:24:39 --> 00:24:44 I wouldn't say that either one has a bigger role.
00:24:44 --> 00:24:52 Because if we break it down and we look at it, and if we say the community has the biggest role, okay?
00:24:52 --> 00:24:57 Well, there's only so much that the community can do legally.
00:24:58 --> 00:25:03 If we say that the police has the bigger role,
00:25:04 --> 00:25:08 then there's only so much that the police can do because they need the community
00:25:08 --> 00:25:14 to stand behind them and provide information when they need information,
00:25:14 --> 00:25:17 you know, so they can't do it all.
00:25:18 --> 00:25:24 Lawmakers can put in policies and put in as many laws as they want.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:29 But if you don't have the community that's willing to follow these,
00:25:29 --> 00:25:35 the laws or stand up, you know, behind the policies, if you don't have the police
00:25:35 --> 00:25:37 that's willing to enforce.
00:25:37 --> 00:25:45 So I really feel like everybody's role is equally the same. We all have to do our part.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:52 Yeah. And I don't think I highlighted that while we were getting started with
00:25:52 --> 00:25:54 the interview. But you're a Mississippi girl.
00:25:55 --> 00:26:02 I am. I am. And, you know, in Mississippi, one of the cool things about the
00:26:02 --> 00:26:06 state is that it's all about community, you know.
00:26:06 --> 00:26:12 And, you know, even in these modern times, that community is a very,
00:26:12 --> 00:26:14 very important part of the culture.
00:26:14 --> 00:26:25 So how did being somebody from Mississippi kind of shape you to end up being
00:26:25 --> 00:26:30 the educator and being the activist that you have become?
00:26:30 --> 00:26:35 I know certain circumstances led you down this particular path,
00:26:35 --> 00:26:41 but I just feel so that if that had not happened, you would be an activist for something else.
00:26:41 --> 00:26:46 So kind of talk to me about what about your upbringing in Mississippi?
00:26:46 --> 00:26:50 What about Mississippi that made you the person that you are?
00:26:51 --> 00:26:59 Mississippi helped to mold me into the person that I am from my upbringing of community.
00:27:00 --> 00:27:09 When I came up, we lived in, basically, it was a neighborhood of really just family.
00:27:09 --> 00:27:14 But if you went over a street, there was still family. There may not have been
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 blood, but they were still family.
00:27:15 --> 00:27:19 If you went over another street, there was still family. May not have been blood,
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 but they were still family.
00:27:20 --> 00:27:24 But in the right where I was, it was blood family.
00:27:26 --> 00:27:31 We depended on each other. I can actually remember a time that I was driving,
00:27:31 --> 00:27:34 and this was right after my son was born.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:38 So, of course, he was supposed to be in a car seat, and he was not.
00:27:38 --> 00:27:41 He had gotten out of the car seat because he was mischievous.
00:27:41 --> 00:27:46 He had gotten out of the car seat, and he was hanging, his hand was hanging
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 out the window, and he was waving.
00:27:48 --> 00:27:55 So, the police chief at that time was this man, and his name was Ovi May.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:59 He would sit in different places, you know, just patrolling or doing what,
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 you know, doing what he's doing.
00:28:01 --> 00:28:06 And I passed by. And when I passed by, my son waved at him. And so he stopped me.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:12 And when he stopped me, he said, you know, this baby should be in the car seat. And I said, yes, sir.
00:28:13 --> 00:28:17 I said, but he just got out and I was going to pull over and put him back in.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:21 And he said, I know that. He said, you're the parent. He's the child.
00:28:22 --> 00:28:25 You need to make sure that he's in that car seat
00:28:25 --> 00:28:27 at all times you make sure that he's
00:28:27 --> 00:28:30 buckled in it doesn't matter if he didn't want to stay because I think I said
00:28:30 --> 00:28:33 something about he doesn't like staying in it and he
00:28:33 --> 00:28:36 got out or something and he said you're the parent and so
00:28:36 --> 00:28:39 for him to say that he didn't write me
00:28:39 --> 00:28:42 a ticket he didn't do any of that but for him to
00:28:42 --> 00:28:45 say that to me that was because
00:28:45 --> 00:28:49 he was a part of our community because he
00:28:49 --> 00:28:52 knew that if he
00:28:52 --> 00:28:58 gave me that advice then he was doing his job as not only the police chief but
00:28:58 --> 00:29:04 he was doing his job as an elder in the community a person who with wisdom in
00:29:04 --> 00:29:10 the community that was guiding a a younger parent like myself.
00:29:10 --> 00:29:17 My parents always believed in depending on each other, leaning on each other, supporting each other.
00:29:17 --> 00:29:21 So those are the things that really just being able, like I said,
00:29:22 --> 00:29:27 I can remember like sitting on the porch with family, chilling bees.
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 You know, sharing what came from the garden.
00:29:31 --> 00:29:39 I remember my dad had, you know, loads and loads and loads of fruit and vegetables
00:29:39 --> 00:29:43 and things like that, sharing it with the community as well.
00:29:43 --> 00:29:51 And I still see that happening now, where not many people, but I still see it
00:29:51 --> 00:29:55 from some to where if I have it, you have it.
00:29:55 --> 00:30:02 Nobody's going like him, you know. So that's pretty much how it shaped me.
00:30:02 --> 00:30:06 I saw a lot of love, and I saw a lot of people that truly cared.
00:30:06 --> 00:30:11 And it didn't matter if you were blood or not. It didn't matter if you were
00:30:11 --> 00:30:14 my biological child or whatever.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:17 It was community. Yeah.
00:30:18 --> 00:30:24 So let's go down a different track real quick. Do you feel that mental health is prioritized enough?
00:30:24 --> 00:30:31 And if not, what more can be done to prioritize the mental health needs of Americans?
00:30:31 --> 00:30:38 To be honest, I think that mental health is really, as far as being recognized
00:30:38 --> 00:30:41 and prioritized, I think it's getting there.
00:30:41 --> 00:30:44 I think it's getting a lot better.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:52 There's a lot of more avenues and awareness being brought to mental health There
00:30:52 --> 00:30:57 are more opportunities for people who are struggling with mental health to get
00:30:57 --> 00:31:03 help There are so many just bringing the awareness is much greater.
00:31:04 --> 00:31:06 Are we always there yet?
00:31:06 --> 00:31:09 No, but I feel like it has from
00:31:09 --> 00:31:13 where it used to be Now I can
00:31:13 --> 00:31:16 say yes It is really getting there
00:31:16 --> 00:31:19 to where people are understanding How important mental health
00:31:19 --> 00:31:22 is And the different aspects of
00:31:22 --> 00:31:25 mental health And changing the
00:31:25 --> 00:31:31 views of what mental health means I have a friend that is a therapist And she
00:31:31 --> 00:31:39 often states that we all have mental health But we can either have a good mental
00:31:39 --> 00:31:45 health or bad mental health That's the areas that we, you know, that we need to focus on.
00:31:45 --> 00:31:48 So I think it's getting there. I really do.
00:31:49 --> 00:31:55 Yeah. Do you see a difference between attitudes in Mississippi as opposed to Georgia?
00:31:56 --> 00:32:00 Or is it about the same? When it comes to mental health? Yes, ma'am.
00:32:01 --> 00:32:05 Yes, there is a difference. Mississippi is not quite where Georgia is.
00:32:05 --> 00:32:09 And, you know, just being honest, there is a lot of light that still,
00:32:09 --> 00:32:12 it's better than what it used to be.
00:32:12 --> 00:32:17 But I do see more focus on mental health in a lot of different areas,
00:32:17 --> 00:32:20 a lot of different platforms, people,
00:32:20 --> 00:32:24 you know, when it comes to churches, when it comes to, which are,
00:32:24 --> 00:32:31 you know, the cornerstones of our communities, I see more people here in Georgia
00:32:31 --> 00:32:34 that's willing to accept mental health,
00:32:35 --> 00:32:42 accept the open that more people are opening their doors to bring awareness
00:32:42 --> 00:32:48 to mental health and the importance of mental health here in Georgia than I do in Mississippi.
00:32:49 --> 00:32:54 Now, don't get me wrong, they're making great strives but I feel like there
00:32:54 --> 00:33:00 is a difference it's not quite as much attention as it should be in my opinion,
00:33:01 --> 00:33:07 alright so let's close out with this in the bible in the book of Matthew more
00:33:07 --> 00:33:13 specifically it admonishes us to judge not lest ye be judged ourselves based
00:33:13 --> 00:33:17 on your personal experience do you think that is a good rule to live by.
00:33:19 --> 00:33:26 I do. I do think that is a perfect rule to live by because who are we to judge?
00:33:27 --> 00:33:32 I don't know what you've been through. I don't know what it took for you to
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 get out of the bed this morning.
00:33:34 --> 00:33:39 I don't know what happened to that little boy or that little girl that walked
00:33:39 --> 00:33:43 into my classroom this morning angry or frustrated.
00:33:44 --> 00:33:46 I don't know what happened to
00:33:46 --> 00:33:51 my co-worker the night before she came in or the morning that she got up.
00:33:51 --> 00:33:58 I don't know what a person has just experienced that I'm passing that may be
00:33:58 --> 00:34:04 in what we know a lot about now in the fentanyl fold.
00:34:05 --> 00:34:11 I'm passing by them and I see this. I don't know what caused them to be in that
00:34:11 --> 00:34:16 state that they had to, you know, use fit enough.
00:34:16 --> 00:34:24 I don't know what has happened. So how can I say you're wrong or you shouldn't
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 be doing this or you shouldn't be doing it?
00:34:25 --> 00:34:31 There's only one thing that I strongly say that I feel that we can tell people,
00:34:31 --> 00:34:33 no, you shouldn't or whatever.
00:34:33 --> 00:34:37 And that is we cannot hurt someone else just because we're hurting.
00:34:38 --> 00:34:41 That is the only thing I say we don't have a right to do.
00:34:41 --> 00:34:45 So I can't tell you that you don't have a right to do this or you don't have.
00:34:45 --> 00:34:50 What I can say is that help me understand why you're doing what you're doing.
00:34:50 --> 00:34:55 And then maybe if I can help you to find a different way or a different avenue
00:34:55 --> 00:34:59 or a different outlet, then I can present that to you.
00:34:59 --> 00:35:08 But I can't judge you because I don't know what it took for you to even press forward today.
00:35:08 --> 00:35:11 I believe in showing love and compassion.
00:35:12 --> 00:35:19 Yeah, and we definitely need more of that. You know, just in kind of doing some background on you,
00:35:19 --> 00:35:23 you know, I felt that that was a good question to ask because it seems like
00:35:23 --> 00:35:29 a lot of the stuff that you do works on that premise, that it's like you don't
00:35:29 --> 00:35:31 know what a person's been through.
00:35:31 --> 00:35:35 You don't know what kind of tragedies hit them. You don't know what kind of,
00:35:36 --> 00:35:40 like you said, issues they went to sleep on and had to wake up thinking about.
00:35:40 --> 00:35:45 And so it's just best to kind of approach people, I won't say cautiously,
00:35:46 --> 00:35:51 but approach people with a clean slate and meet them where they are.
00:35:52 --> 00:35:57 And I think that's what you've been trying to do with both Operation Recovery
00:35:57 --> 00:36:01 and Voices of Black Mothers United. So.
00:36:02 --> 00:36:08 Tell people how to get involved with these organizations, how they can support
00:36:08 --> 00:36:13 what you're doing, how they can reach out to you and all that stuff.
00:36:13 --> 00:36:22 So we are on Operation Recovery and Voice of Black Mothers United are on Facebook.
00:36:22 --> 00:36:24 We both have websites.
00:36:24 --> 00:36:30 Operation Recovery's website is thetheoperationrecovery.org.
00:36:30 --> 00:36:33 And so you can reach me through the website.
00:36:33 --> 00:36:36 We have Facebook page, Zanetia Henry.
00:36:36 --> 00:36:41 We have Operation Recovery's Facebook page. We're on Instagram,
00:36:42 --> 00:36:45 both Zanetia Henry and Operation Recovery.
00:36:45 --> 00:36:51 We're on LinkedIn, Operation Recovery with Zanetia Henry. So those are some
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 ways that you can reach out.
00:36:53 --> 00:36:59 And you can always reach out via phone, 601-410-3498.
00:37:00 --> 00:37:05 Text message, you can text, you can call. It'd be better to text and then let
00:37:05 --> 00:37:08 me call you back or leave a message if I don't answer.
00:37:08 --> 00:37:14 So those are some ways that you can reach us. You can reach or get to find out
00:37:14 --> 00:37:18 more about Voices of Black Mothers United through the Woodson Center,
00:37:18 --> 00:37:20 which is also on Facebook,
00:37:21 --> 00:37:29 Instagram, and the website is woodsoncenter.org and or Voices of Black Mothers United.
00:37:29 --> 00:37:32 You can pull that up and it'll take you right to it as well.
00:37:33 --> 00:37:40 Yeah. And I would be remiss if I didn't want, if I didn't allow you to say your
00:37:40 --> 00:37:47 son's name so that, speak his name so that people will understand who he was?
00:37:47 --> 00:37:55 Yeah, just kind of who he was and what do you think he would be saying to you
00:37:55 --> 00:37:57 right now about the work that you're doing?
00:37:58 --> 00:38:01 Son's name is DreCharles Henry and he
00:38:01 --> 00:38:04 is called Dre for short because he didn't
00:38:04 --> 00:38:10 like the whole name so he was adamant about being called Dre but he had lots
00:38:10 --> 00:38:21 and lots of nicknames so Dre is fun-loving exciting and what helps me the most
00:38:21 --> 00:38:23 is knowing that he lived every single.
00:38:24 --> 00:38:30 Day, every single moment of his 22 years on earth, he lived it like it was his last.
00:38:31 --> 00:38:35 He didn't believe in holding grudges. He didn't believe in being angry.
00:38:35 --> 00:38:40 If he was angry, it was maybe five minutes. That was it. He was moving on from
00:38:40 --> 00:38:43 that. He was always laughing. The life of the party.
00:38:43 --> 00:38:47 He enjoyed having fun. He enjoyed life.
00:38:48 --> 00:38:51 He never got attached to things, houses,
00:38:51 --> 00:38:54 cars, clothes shoes jewelry all
00:38:54 --> 00:38:58 that stuff none of that ever meant anything to him because
00:38:58 --> 00:39:01 he have it today he may not
00:39:01 --> 00:39:03 have it tomorrow and it did not matter to him and
00:39:03 --> 00:39:08 he's been that way his entire life he'd lose stuff because it just didn't matter
00:39:08 --> 00:39:14 to him when it came to things what mattered to him was being happy full of joy
00:39:14 --> 00:39:21 and sharing his joy and his light with others and he pushes me a lot right now
00:39:21 --> 00:39:23 because I'm always hearing his voice,
00:39:23 --> 00:39:27 especially when I'm slowing down or some hard, hard moments.
00:39:28 --> 00:39:31 His words to me are, you straight, mom.
00:39:32 --> 00:39:38 Snap back. You okay. And that gives me strength to allow my tears to flow,
00:39:38 --> 00:39:44 allow my heart to ache, but it gives me strength to get up and continue to press forward.
00:39:44 --> 00:39:51 And I know he will be extremely excited about all the things that we're doing
00:39:51 --> 00:39:55 to help other people because that's what he did.
00:39:55 --> 00:39:58 He just loved making people laugh and enjoying life.
00:39:59 --> 00:40:06 Well, Zanetia Henry, I know for certain that you are living up to not only Dre's
00:40:06 --> 00:40:09 expectations, but many of us in the community.
00:40:09 --> 00:40:11 I appreciate the work that you're doing.
00:40:12 --> 00:40:17 And I know that it's not easy work because of the attachment.
00:40:17 --> 00:40:22 But I'm glad that you stepped forward and answered the call.
00:40:22 --> 00:40:26 And I'm really honored that you took the time out to come on to the podcast
00:40:26 --> 00:40:28 and talk about what you're doing.
00:40:29 --> 00:40:36 And I hope that the club doesn't expand, to be honest, but I do want you to
00:40:36 --> 00:40:39 continue to work to support those folks that need it. So thank you for that.
00:40:40 --> 00:40:43 Most definitely. Thank you so much for this opportunity.
00:40:43 --> 00:40:47 It's an honor to be able to come on and talk with you today.
00:40:47 --> 00:40:54 And I'm always very, very grateful for any platform that I can share my story,
00:40:54 --> 00:41:03 share my baby and let people know that we're on this journey together and we
00:41:03 --> 00:41:04 just have to love and support each other.
00:41:05 --> 00:41:09 All right. All right, guys. And we're going to catch y'all on the other side.
00:41:09 --> 00:41:27 Music.
00:41:28 --> 00:41:36 All right, and we are back. And so now it is time for my next guest, Dr. Veirdre Jackson.
00:41:36 --> 00:41:42 Dr. Veirdre Jackson is a visionary leader, educator, and entrepreneur dedicated
00:41:42 --> 00:41:48 to helping businesses, educational institutions, leaders and professionals overcome
00:41:48 --> 00:41:50 burnout, enhance communication,
00:41:51 --> 00:41:54 boost productivity, and strengthen team relationships.
00:41:55 --> 00:42:00 Work centers on fostering belonging and resilience to create thriving environments
00:42:00 --> 00:42:04 where individuals and teams can reach their full potential.
00:42:04 --> 00:42:09 As an award-winning author, keynote speaker, and consultant, Dr.
00:42:09 --> 00:42:14 Jackson's dynamic expertise has impacted organizations across sectors.
00:42:14 --> 00:42:18 Dr. Jackson is the CEO and founder of Living Strong Consulting,
00:42:18 --> 00:42:25 LLC, a firm specializing in innovative strategies for organizational resilience.
00:42:26 --> 00:42:29 Leadership development, and trauma-informed practices.
00:42:29 --> 00:42:34 Her over 20 years of experience in nonprofit and executive leadership have positioned
00:42:34 --> 00:42:39 her as a trusted partner for addressing challenges in workplace culture,
00:42:39 --> 00:42:40 equity, and well-being.
00:42:41 --> 00:42:46 She is a champion for equity literacy and trauma awareness, providing solutions
00:42:46 --> 00:42:48 that promote inclusive, thriving communities.
00:42:49 --> 00:42:55 Through her Refill Framework, which includes strategies to rewire for relationships,
00:42:56 --> 00:43:00 embrace emotional health, find strength in community,
00:43:00 --> 00:43:04 influence others, let it go, and level up, Dr.
00:43:04 --> 00:43:08 Jackson delivers practical, transformative tools for addressing burnout,
00:43:09 --> 00:43:14 managing stress, and building authentic connections in the fast-paced professional settings.
00:43:15 --> 00:43:20 Dr. Jackson's influence spans diverse audiences, including educators,
00:43:20 --> 00:43:22 corporate leaders, administrators, and clinicians.
00:43:23 --> 00:43:28 She has collaborated with leading organizations, including Lakeside Global Institute,
00:43:28 --> 00:43:30 where she served as a mentor trainer,
00:43:31 --> 00:43:35 Penn State Extension, developing online trauma responsive courses,
00:43:36 --> 00:43:41 Head Start and Early Head Start as a coach for classroom and home visiting staff,
00:43:41 --> 00:43:48 numerous charter schools, public school districts, and intermediate units as a relational coach.
00:43:49 --> 00:43:53 Dr. Jackson's work with these organizations underscores her commitment to improving
00:43:53 --> 00:43:57 communication, building trust, and fostering sustainable growth.
00:43:57 --> 00:44:02 Her John Maxwell team certification elevates her leadership training capabilities,
00:44:03 --> 00:44:07 allowing her to facilitate transformative workshops, mastermind sessions,
00:44:08 --> 00:44:09 and one-on-one coaching.
00:44:09 --> 00:44:15 She covers topics such as Today Matters, Leadership Gold, Becoming a Person
00:44:15 --> 00:44:21 of Influence, and the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, Empowering Professionals
00:44:21 --> 00:44:23 to Achieve Personal and Organizational Success.
00:44:23 --> 00:44:30 From 2001 to 2023, she was also the host of the popular Living Strong,
00:44:30 --> 00:44:32 the flip side of adversity,
00:44:32 --> 00:44:37 live radio show on the Voice America Network's empowerment channel,
00:44:37 --> 00:44:41 which reached over 100 listeners over across 75 countries.
00:44:41 --> 00:44:47 In 2024, she expanded her reach by launching a podcast of the same name on Podbean
00:44:47 --> 00:44:51 and YouTube, syndicated to platforms like Spotify, Apple Play,
00:44:51 --> 00:44:53 iHeartRadio and Amazon Music.
00:44:53 --> 00:44:59 The podcast features inspiring stories and actionable advice for navigating
00:44:59 --> 00:45:03 adversity in relationships, leadership, health, and mindset.
00:45:03 --> 00:45:07 As an accomplished author, Dr. Jackson has published several impactful works.
00:45:08 --> 00:45:12 16 Principles for Abundant Living, A Guide for Women's Empowerment,
00:45:13 --> 00:45:18 Fearless Conversations with a Limitless God, an award-winning exploration of
00:45:18 --> 00:45:20 breaking toxic thought cycles.
00:45:21 --> 00:45:26 Which has been recognized with two civil medals from BookFest and featured on
00:45:26 --> 00:45:28 the NASDAQ board in Times Square.
00:45:28 --> 00:45:31 This book continues to inspire readers globally.
00:45:32 --> 00:45:37 Refill, six strategies to reconnect, rejuvenate, and restore with soul care,
00:45:37 --> 00:45:43 a vital resource for navigating the demands of professional caregiving and rediscovering
00:45:43 --> 00:45:44 purpose and fulfillment.
00:45:44 --> 00:45:47 In 2025, Dr.
00:45:47 --> 00:45:51 Jackson will release the e-book, Belonging Over Barriers, Unlocking the Art
00:45:51 --> 00:45:54 of Belonging in Business, Personal Power, and Collective Impact.
00:45:54 --> 00:45:59 This groundbreaking series equips leaders and teams with skills to create authentic
00:45:59 --> 00:46:04 belonging, foster empathy, and drive innovation in today's professional landscape.
00:46:05 --> 00:46:09 Dr. Jackson's expertise has earned her numerous accolades, including recognition
00:46:09 --> 00:46:16 as a professional development champion by Pennsylvania's Keystone Stars Southeast Regional Key.
00:46:16 --> 00:46:21 Selection as an author all star in 2023 and 2024.
00:46:22 --> 00:46:28 Honoree of the 2023 Exchange Leadership Initiative, which celebrates visionary
00:46:28 --> 00:46:30 leaders in early care and education.
00:46:30 --> 00:46:34 She is also a featured presenter for the Trauma and Child Development Series
00:46:34 --> 00:46:39 by Penn State's Better Kid Care, a contributor to Women's Entrepreneur Magazine,
00:46:39 --> 00:46:42 and a sought-after keynote and podcast guest.
00:46:42 --> 00:46:46 Dr. Jackson holds a bachelor's degree from Drexel University,
00:46:46 --> 00:46:50 a master's degree in elementary education from Temple University,
00:46:50 --> 00:46:54 and a doctoral degree in leadership and innovation from Wilmington University.
00:46:54 --> 00:46:59 Her academic foundation supports her innovative approaches to leadership,
00:46:59 --> 00:47:01 community building, and resilience.
00:47:02 --> 00:47:06 Outside of her professional life, Dr. Jackson cherishes her role as a wife,
00:47:06 --> 00:47:10 mother of two daughters, and Gigi to her three grandchildren,
00:47:10 --> 00:47:11 Max, Jackson, and Ceres.
00:47:12 --> 00:47:16 Her family inspires her continued commitment to creating meaningful,
00:47:16 --> 00:47:21 lasting change for the next generation. With her deep understanding of organizational
00:47:21 --> 00:47:26 systems, trauma-informed practices, and leadership development, Dr.
00:47:26 --> 00:47:30 Veirdre Jackson is uniquely positioned to guide businesses, schools,
00:47:30 --> 00:47:31 and professionals towards success.
00:47:32 --> 00:47:36 Whether addressing burnout, enhancing communication, or fostering belonging,
00:47:37 --> 00:47:42 she delivers actionable solutions that inspire transformation and drive results.
00:47:42 --> 00:47:47 Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor and privilege to have as a guest
00:47:47 --> 00:47:50 on this podcast, Dr. Veirdre Jackson.
00:47:51 --> 00:48:01 Music.
00:48:01 --> 00:48:05 All right, Dr. Veirdre Jackson, how you doing, sister? You doing good?
00:48:06 --> 00:48:08 I am well. I am well, Eric.
00:48:09 --> 00:48:15 It is a great day. Well, yeah, any time we can get up and start doing what we
00:48:15 --> 00:48:17 need to do, it's always a positive.
00:48:18 --> 00:48:23 And can't really control what's going on in a lot of other spots.
00:48:23 --> 00:48:25 But as long as we control our space, we good, right?
00:48:26 --> 00:48:31 And I celebrated a birthday this weekend. So, you know, another loop around
00:48:31 --> 00:48:34 the sun. I'm grateful. Well, happy birthday to you.
00:48:35 --> 00:48:39 It's like I greatly appreciate him. I've never had a big celebration.
00:48:40 --> 00:48:43 And a lot of times I've had to work on my birthday.
00:48:44 --> 00:48:49 So, you know, even when I was young, I think the coolest birthday I had was when I turned 16.
00:48:49 --> 00:48:54 That was that was the big party outside of that. That was the big party?
00:48:54 --> 00:49:00 I have to tell you about that off the air. But yeah, that was a big one. So I understand.
00:49:01 --> 00:49:07 All right. So how I normally do this is that I start off with a couple of icebreakers
00:49:07 --> 00:49:08 and then we get into the interview.
00:49:09 --> 00:49:15 Sounds good. The first icebreaker is a quote. And the quote is, work hard in silence.
00:49:16 --> 00:49:19 Let your success be your noise. What does that quote mean to you?
00:49:20 --> 00:49:25 Wow. Well, that really resonates with, I think, counterculture,
00:49:25 --> 00:49:28 what we often are living in.
00:49:28 --> 00:49:38 So often I've found that people try to put everything out on social media,
00:49:39 --> 00:49:45 out into the public to try and prove a point or try to gain validation when
00:49:45 --> 00:49:52 actually if you are working in silence and you are willing to do the work to
00:49:52 --> 00:49:54 get deep roots, to connect to purpose,
00:49:54 --> 00:50:03 then what you produce should be the loudest thing that people hear or see.
00:50:03 --> 00:50:09 It's not you trying to push something. It's the fruit that you produce that
00:50:09 --> 00:50:13 should absolutely be the loudest evidence of your character,
00:50:13 --> 00:50:17 your work ethic, and your core values. Okay.
00:50:18 --> 00:50:22 All right. So the next one is called 20 questions. So I need you to give me
00:50:22 --> 00:50:24 a number between one and 20.
00:50:25 --> 00:50:26 18. Okay.
00:50:28 --> 00:50:32 What's one thing we might all agree is important, no matter our differences?
00:50:34 --> 00:50:42 Hmm. Well, I'm actually going to lean into the science because all human beings,
00:50:42 --> 00:50:44 our brain craves safety and connection.
00:50:45 --> 00:50:49 And we will pursue it. We need it.
00:50:49 --> 00:50:56 Even if we will go after it in a crooked way, in the end, we're still going
00:50:56 --> 00:51:00 after the same thing, to feel safe and connected. Okay.
00:51:00 --> 00:51:07 All right. So what is Living Strong and how do you build a consulting service out of that principle?
00:51:08 --> 00:51:17 Well, the core of Living Strong came out of the other side of toxic stress and illness.
00:51:17 --> 00:51:25 For me, I found myself having had an 18 centimeter tumor removed from my body
00:51:25 --> 00:51:29 and unable to walk for 10 days.
00:51:29 --> 00:51:38 And I thought I was moving into the position of my dreams and it fell apart.
00:51:38 --> 00:51:40 And so I was sick, unemployed.
00:51:40 --> 00:51:49 And as I laid in the bed for 10 days, got a download of the things that.
00:51:50 --> 00:51:58 I have loved to do. And on the other side of this bed experience, I said to myself,
00:51:58 --> 00:52:05 I am striving to live strong and to consistently, how do we build principles
00:52:05 --> 00:52:09 around living strong, regardless of what we've been through?
00:52:09 --> 00:52:16 And so that's where the name of the company came from, Living Strong Consulting,
00:52:16 --> 00:52:22 and the core principles that I use with clients,
00:52:23 --> 00:52:29 with educators, with parents, with students, are anchor principles of how do
00:52:29 --> 00:52:35 we live abundant in seven pillars, our relationship, our mindset,
00:52:36 --> 00:52:43 our physical health, our finances, our time, our career, and our faith. Yeah.
00:52:44 --> 00:52:49 So let me ask you this. Based on the experience you were going through during
00:52:49 --> 00:52:57 those 10 days and just reading some of the stuff that you've been writing about and talking about,
00:52:57 --> 00:53:03 do you feel that that experience was more of a Jacob experience or a Job experience? Hmm.
00:53:04 --> 00:53:14 You know what? It was a byproduct of a season where I felt like I was Job.
00:53:14 --> 00:53:22 And I remember in the season and time, it was eight years of feeling like I
00:53:22 --> 00:53:26 had been placed in a prison, but I was still on an assignment.
00:53:27 --> 00:53:38 And I actually did not leave the prison, even when I clearly had received the
00:53:38 --> 00:53:39 message that it was time to go.
00:53:40 --> 00:53:46 And I remember saying, you know, I feel like Job, but I stayed too long.
00:53:47 --> 00:53:55 And the byproduct of staying in a prison when it is actually you have been told
00:53:55 --> 00:54:00 it's time to leave, it took a wear and tear on my body.
00:54:00 --> 00:54:07 And I honestly believe the levels of toxic stress that I carried year after
00:54:07 --> 00:54:14 year after year is literally found itself into that tumor.
00:54:14 --> 00:54:21 And that is where I actually found myself. I couldn't even walk anymore.
00:54:21 --> 00:54:25 And so it was coming out of Job.
00:54:25 --> 00:54:31 And as Job came out on the other side of his experience, got restored,
00:54:31 --> 00:54:39 redeemed, rebuilt, and provided in abundance. And so I have to say probably more like job. Okay.
00:54:40 --> 00:54:43 All right. What is the concept of refilling?
00:54:44 --> 00:54:48 Mm-hmm. So refill is also, it's all interconnected.
00:54:48 --> 00:54:57 What I found, especially in this season and time that I work a lot with educators and leaders,
00:54:57 --> 00:55:04 is recognizing that we hear people talk about how tired they are in the face
00:55:04 --> 00:55:08 of a workplace stress, burnout,
00:55:09 --> 00:55:15 compassion fatigue, but I challenge people that this isn't about you being tired.
00:55:15 --> 00:55:19 Because if it was about being tired, you could take a nap and jump right back in the game.
00:55:19 --> 00:55:24 But there are people who have gone all the way to Bermuda and come back and
00:55:24 --> 00:55:27 walked in the office and sat in the chair.
00:55:27 --> 00:55:30 And the first thing they say, oh, I'm so tired.
00:55:30 --> 00:55:34 This actually isn't about being tired. It's about being depleted.
00:55:34 --> 00:55:40 And when we recognize and shift our language that this is not about being tired,
00:55:40 --> 00:55:42 it's about being depleted.
00:55:43 --> 00:55:47 When something is depleted, you have to do something to refill it.
00:55:48 --> 00:55:55 You become strategic and intentional. And so REFILL is a six-part acronym that
00:55:55 --> 00:56:03 are trauma-informed strategies to refill the depleted parts of our brain,
00:56:04 --> 00:56:06 our body, and our behaviors.
00:56:07 --> 00:56:10 So R is rewire for belonging.
00:56:11 --> 00:56:15 E is that we have an ethical imperative for emotional wellness.
00:56:16 --> 00:56:23 F is find your strength in brain health. I is influence others.
00:56:24 --> 00:56:29 L is let it go. And the second L is level up.
00:56:29 --> 00:56:35 Okay. All right. So this kind of all leads to this one question.
00:56:35 --> 00:56:42 Explain the intersection between faith and mental health. Oh, yes.
00:56:42 --> 00:56:53 Well, the intersection between faith and mental health is understanding that
00:56:53 --> 00:56:57 worship is a weapon and therapy is a strategy.
00:56:59 --> 00:57:05 And it is not an or, it is actually an and.
00:57:05 --> 00:57:11 And the way that our body has physically been designed.
00:57:11 --> 00:57:20 There are clues within scripture, within Christ's character that points us back
00:57:20 --> 00:57:22 to how our body is designed.
00:57:23 --> 00:57:27 And actually all science does is point back to faith.
00:57:27 --> 00:57:34 And so when we recognize that it's not an or, it is an and, We don't have to
00:57:34 --> 00:57:36 feel like we're in conflict.
00:57:37 --> 00:57:44 There is a place in which worship absolutely connects with our heart,
00:57:44 --> 00:57:46 connects with our brain.
00:57:46 --> 00:57:51 There's science that shows how worship restores areas of our physical brain,
00:57:51 --> 00:57:59 how when we worship collectively, we gain a rhythm of the heartbeat of those
00:57:59 --> 00:58:01 that we are around when we are worshiping together.
00:58:01 --> 00:58:08 But when we have experienced something that has disrupted our original design,
00:58:08 --> 00:58:16 a therapist can help us untangle the web of the distorted beliefs that we've
00:58:16 --> 00:58:20 picked up that we were never designed to hold on to.
00:58:20 --> 00:58:28 But sometimes that takes a professional in helping us unpack the distorted beliefs
00:58:28 --> 00:58:34 that we're holding on to so that we can get back to our original design. Yeah.
00:58:35 --> 00:58:40 I, I, you know, people, and I, and I told this story with another guest,
00:58:40 --> 00:58:46 but you know, there are the people that look at faith as the end all be all.
00:58:47 --> 00:58:50 And they'll say, well, I don't, I don't need to talk to a psychiatrist.
00:58:50 --> 00:58:54 I don't need to talk to a counselor because I've, I've got my pastor. I got God. Right.
00:58:55 --> 00:58:58 And it, and it just reminds me of the old story about the guy who was in his
00:58:58 --> 00:59:06 house and the water was rising and somebody came with a car and then with a
00:59:06 --> 00:59:09 boat and then with a helicopter and then the guy drowned.
00:59:10 --> 00:59:12 And he kept saying, well, God, you were supposed to provide for me.
00:59:12 --> 00:59:16 He said, I sent a car, a boat, and a helicopter. I mean, what else do you want me to do?
00:59:16 --> 00:59:25 And so I'd look at therapy or counseling as that boat that's been provided so
00:59:25 --> 00:59:31 that people can, you know, at least talk to somebody else, if nothing else.
00:59:31 --> 00:59:36 And, you know, a pastor, there's a difference between a pastor and a minister, right?
00:59:36 --> 00:59:42 Because a minister, you know, or a preacher, but a pastor incorporates what
00:59:42 --> 00:59:47 we were talking about, about, you know, faith and trying to tap into that,
00:59:47 --> 00:59:49 your mental health or your mental strength even.
00:59:50 --> 00:59:53 So, yeah, I just wanted to throw that out there with you.
00:59:54 --> 00:59:57 And Erik, can I lean into that a little bit as well?
00:59:57 --> 01:00:08 So it's recognizing also that a pastor and a minister have a particular training and skill set.
01:00:08 --> 01:00:13 And the same way, if you went into the church,
01:00:13 --> 01:00:20 but you needed some type of physical help or physical, something that you physically
01:00:20 --> 01:00:27 needed to be healed, You wouldn't just stop at the pastor asking the pastor to pray for you.
01:00:27 --> 01:00:32 You would ask the pastor to pray for you and you would go to the doctor.
01:00:32 --> 01:00:38 So it's the same concept because the mind and the body are connected.
01:00:39 --> 01:00:48 And so when we are not well emotionally and mentally, it is a physical condition and a psychiatrist,
01:00:48 --> 01:00:55 a psychologist, and a therapist have a specific skill set to address that ailment
01:00:55 --> 01:01:01 that is different from the skill set that the pastor or the minister has. That's right.
01:01:01 --> 01:01:06 All right. So let me ask you this question. How are people like an Impala?
01:01:06 --> 01:01:18 Oh, so I talk about an Impala in one of my sessions, and I often ask them,
01:01:19 --> 01:01:28 why does an Impala, if they can jump 10 feet straight up in the air and 30 feet straight out, why?
01:01:29 --> 01:01:36 Why are they still in or behind the zoo barricades? What keeps them in there?
01:01:37 --> 01:01:42 And people say, oh, they've been trained to stay there or that's where the food is.
01:01:42 --> 01:01:50 But when you understand an impala's behavior, they don't jump unless they can
01:01:50 --> 01:01:53 see where they're going to land.
01:01:53 --> 01:01:57 So they stay there self-imposed.
01:01:58 --> 01:02:02 So how that connects to us as humans is sometimes we won't leap.
01:02:03 --> 01:02:08 We'll stay in a place because we don't know how it's going to turn out.
01:02:08 --> 01:02:16 So we'll opt to stay even when it is time to go, even when that leap has the
01:02:16 --> 01:02:19 potential to provide you with freedom and new opportunities.
01:02:20 --> 01:02:27 Sometimes we hold ourselves hostage. We keep ourselves stuck because we don't
01:02:27 --> 01:02:30 know all of the outcomes or all of the steps.
01:02:31 --> 01:02:36 But sometimes it's just the leap that we need to take that's going to open up
01:02:36 --> 01:02:38 the opportunity for freedom.
01:02:39 --> 01:02:44 Yeah. And, you know, since this is a political show, I put it in a political
01:02:44 --> 01:02:48 sense that, you know, and one of the things I've talked with a number of guests
01:02:48 --> 01:02:51 about has been able to storytell.
01:02:52 --> 01:02:59 And I think a lot of us are like Impalas in the political sense, because if we can't see,
01:02:59 --> 01:03:04 if we can't buy into the vision of what a particular candidate is bringing forward,
01:03:05 --> 01:03:09 then we just stay within what we're comfortable with.
01:03:09 --> 01:03:12 And we won't take a chance and vote for that particular candidate. Right.
01:03:12 --> 01:03:19 And when I when I read that part in your book, I think that was the the fearless book that's in there.
01:03:19 --> 01:03:23 It was like I just said, yeah, that that makes sense, because,
01:03:23 --> 01:03:25 you know, people if people weren't.
01:03:26 --> 01:03:30 You know, if they if they can see something with one candidate and not see something
01:03:30 --> 01:03:34 with the other, it doesn't matter what political party they're in.
01:03:34 --> 01:03:38 It doesn't matter what their personal journey has been.
01:03:38 --> 01:03:42 It's like I buy into the story. So
01:03:42 --> 01:03:45 I'll take that leap of faith with that candidate, but not the other one.
01:03:45 --> 01:03:50 Am I kind of do you do you see where I'm going with that? I do.
01:03:50 --> 01:03:58 But if I can lean in, I do think also it's connected to part of their own story.
01:03:58 --> 01:04:03 So it's what I believe about that candidate,
01:04:03 --> 01:04:12 even if I am not sure of all of the outcomes, I've written a story in my head
01:04:12 --> 01:04:16 around what I believe about that candidate.
01:04:16 --> 01:04:22 And therefore, I'm going to stick with what's comfortable, with what's familiar.
01:04:22 --> 01:04:29 But that's tied to my belief, my story, my backstory, and what's familiar for me.
01:04:29 --> 01:04:33 And therefore, I'm going to stay comfortable right here,
01:04:33 --> 01:04:41 even though there are huge possibilities if I leaned in and tried to understand
01:04:41 --> 01:04:45 what I have not experienced before. Yeah.
01:04:46 --> 01:04:50 Yeah. And I mean, that's why that's that's kind of where I'm going.
01:04:50 --> 01:04:53 I think that, you know, if you can't see.
01:04:54 --> 01:04:58 Right. Because it's anyway, I just you know, when I read that,
01:04:58 --> 01:05:01 I just said, wow, that's that's pretty cool. I like that analogy.
01:05:02 --> 01:05:06 All right. So one of your many services is leadership training.
01:05:07 --> 01:05:12 What is lacking in the leadership of American politics? Oh.
01:05:14 --> 01:05:18 There's so many things. The first thing I...
01:05:19 --> 01:05:28 Would say is recognizing that if I have not as a leader dealt with my own pain and ego,
01:05:29 --> 01:05:34 I will do damage to everyone I serve and connect with.
01:05:34 --> 01:05:38 It will continue to replicate itself.
01:05:38 --> 01:05:49 And so as leaders, we have to, it is our responsibility to reconcile our own issues and our ego,
01:05:49 --> 01:05:56 because leadership is not about me taking care of what I want.
01:05:56 --> 01:06:02 Leadership is about seeing people and recognizing that leaders,
01:06:02 --> 01:06:07 we at the core is our influence. We are impacting.
01:06:08 --> 01:06:11 And so if I haven't dealt with my stuff,
01:06:12 --> 01:06:20 I then spread that and that then becomes infectious and damaging to everyone
01:06:20 --> 01:06:24 that even my voice impacts.
01:06:25 --> 01:06:29 Yeah, and that's one of those moments, I guess the mind said,
01:06:30 --> 01:06:32 could you repeat that again? Because I don't think the people in the back heard that.
01:06:33 --> 01:06:38 And I do feel that way as far as with our president, right?
01:06:38 --> 01:06:42 I think that for whatever reason, he is who he is.
01:06:42 --> 01:06:49 And because he's had this incredible ability to market and he's had this incredible ability to sell,
01:06:49 --> 01:07:00 that he's taken his personality and at least has gotten a majority of the people to support him.
01:07:00 --> 01:07:05 And even though it's been damaging, it's one thing to be unconventional.
01:07:06 --> 01:07:10 I'm not against being unconventional. As a Black man that's been in politics,
01:07:10 --> 01:07:12 I understand what unconventional is.
01:07:12 --> 01:07:16 But it is another thing to be damaging.
01:07:16 --> 01:07:22 And I think that's where we are now. I think Like we've, going back to the Impala
01:07:22 --> 01:07:26 analogy, for some reason, we feel comfortable with somebody saying,
01:07:26 --> 01:07:28 just trust me, everything's going to be okay.
01:07:29 --> 01:07:33 I know you're not used to seeing it done this way, but just trust me.
01:07:33 --> 01:07:39 And people are buying into that. And I'm like, but it just seems like,
01:07:39 --> 01:07:47 you know, as human beings, we have a spirit where we're infused with a spirit
01:07:47 --> 01:07:49 that's not supposed to be fearful. Right.
01:07:50 --> 01:07:54 But for some reason, we get we get caught up and then we decide,
01:07:54 --> 01:08:00 OK, well, yeah, we know this guy is exactly perfect, but it's probably better
01:08:00 --> 01:08:04 that he's in the position than somebody else. What do you think about that?
01:08:05 --> 01:08:11 There's so much in what you just said. I think the first part is is recognizing
01:08:11 --> 01:08:13 that fear is contagious.
01:08:15 --> 01:08:25 And we as human beings have the emotion of fear, which isn't a bad thing. We actually need it.
01:08:25 --> 01:08:29 Fear is just a response signal for us to take action.
01:08:30 --> 01:08:37 The issue becomes when fear becomes our residence and we live in that place
01:08:37 --> 01:08:45 and that's our every day, it distorts how we see everything around us.
01:08:45 --> 01:08:50 We will forget everything and run. We'll find excuses and reasons.
01:08:50 --> 01:08:53 We'll fake everything and repeat.
01:08:53 --> 01:08:59 But all of that, when you pull back all of the layers, it is when you reside
01:08:59 --> 01:09:06 in a place of fear, it becomes a contagion around.
01:09:06 --> 01:09:15 And so I would even challenge that going back to your Impala analogy in that,
01:09:15 --> 01:09:22 Fear of what I've never seen before will hold me hostage.
01:09:22 --> 01:09:25 I will find excuses and reasons.
01:09:25 --> 01:09:34 I will fake and repeat. I will stay hold because I'm afraid of what I'm telling
01:09:34 --> 01:09:39 myself about the thing that I've never seen before. This one is familiar.
01:09:40 --> 01:09:46 This one, even though it looks distorted, it may be damaging. I'm used to that image.
01:09:46 --> 01:09:54 And so I tell myself a story because I'm residing in a place of fear that has
01:09:54 --> 01:09:59 distorted how I'm actually seeing the truth. Yeah.
01:10:00 --> 01:10:05 All right. As an educator, what concerns you about the education system in America?
01:10:06 --> 01:10:11 Inequity? Inequity. It is inequitable.
01:10:12 --> 01:10:20 All children deserve equitable access to high-quality resources,
01:10:20 --> 01:10:23 education, and experiences.
01:10:23 --> 01:10:29 And every child in this country does not have an equitable experience.
01:10:29 --> 01:10:39 And for some reason, we are fighting over giving children equitable access to resources.
01:10:39 --> 01:10:47 That is what absolutely just tears at my heart.
01:10:47 --> 01:10:52 We, going back to your earlier statement, we all are leaders.
01:10:52 --> 01:10:57 There are those who are positional leaders, and then all of us are influences.
01:10:58 --> 01:11:05 And so we as the adults should be fighting and advocating to make sure that
01:11:05 --> 01:11:12 they have everything they need in order to be successful or have the opportunity
01:11:12 --> 01:11:15 to be their full potential.
01:11:16 --> 01:11:18 But somehow we have gotten to
01:11:18 --> 01:11:22 a place because we have not dealt with the stuff that's happening in us.
01:11:22 --> 01:11:25 We have not dealt with ego.
01:11:25 --> 01:11:33 We have not dealt with fear. We are fighting over giving children full access.
01:11:34 --> 01:11:37 They can't fight for themselves. That's our job.
01:11:37 --> 01:11:47 And somehow we have lost sight of equitable access to high quality resources across the board.
01:11:48 --> 01:11:56 Yeah. And I know you do a lot of work helping Head Start teachers and leaders and pre-K.
01:11:57 --> 01:12:01 So I figured that that would kind of spark something with you.
01:12:01 --> 01:12:04 I got a little heated. Yeah. I'll heat it up.
01:12:06 --> 01:12:11 All right. As someone who seeks to empower women, how has this anti-DEI political
01:12:11 --> 01:12:13 climate impacted your work?
01:12:14 --> 01:12:18 So when you put it in the context of women,
01:12:18 --> 01:12:30 I actually have to say, I've taken an intentional step to support women in the
01:12:30 --> 01:12:35 emotional exhaustion that they are carrying,
01:12:35 --> 01:12:43 especially women of color, and how they are carrying an emotional exhaustion
01:12:43 --> 01:12:49 that is literally destroying their bodies.
01:12:49 --> 01:12:54 And it is, if you imagine carrying a boulder everywhere.
01:12:55 --> 01:12:58 And so I've developed things like the girlfriend gatherings.
01:12:58 --> 01:13:05 I've had people on my show talking about the weathering effect on the female
01:13:05 --> 01:13:07 body, especially women of color,
01:13:08 --> 01:13:16 where doctors actually can see the weathering effect on our physical health
01:13:16 --> 01:13:20 because of racial stress and pressure,
01:13:20 --> 01:13:26 systemic racial issues, and the secondary traumatic stress,
01:13:26 --> 01:13:29 the continued emotional exhaustion.
01:13:29 --> 01:13:32 It literally is weathering our bodies.
01:13:32 --> 01:13:40 And so I've been really dedicating a lot of space and time to help women understand
01:13:40 --> 01:13:44 how to support their physical health,
01:13:44 --> 01:13:49 their mental health, and that rest isn't a luxury.
01:13:49 --> 01:13:51 It's a responsibility. Yeah.
01:13:52 --> 01:13:56 I remember I used to be associate editor of my school newspaper in college,
01:13:56 --> 01:14:00 and I wrote a piece called The Atlas Syndrome.
01:14:01 --> 01:14:07 And it wasn't specific to women. It was to black folks how it seems like we're carrying this burden.
01:14:08 --> 01:14:15 You know, to keep this nation going and talked about how we're the conscience of this nation.
01:14:15 --> 01:14:19 And, you know, it's just like Atlas carrying the world, right?
01:14:19 --> 01:14:23 And so when you said women carrying that boulder, that just kind of reminded me of that.
01:14:23 --> 01:14:29 Because even now, we see that more and more.
01:14:29 --> 01:14:34 And I think, you know, this last election was kind of a reflection of that.
01:14:34 --> 01:14:40 And I just hope that, you know, you and others continue to do that work to help
01:14:40 --> 01:14:44 women navigate through this stuff, because it's unfair.
01:14:45 --> 01:14:50 But, you know, we just need people to continue to give other folks encouragement
01:14:50 --> 01:14:51 to navigate through that stuff.
01:14:52 --> 01:14:55 Yeah, yeah. All right, so let's close it out.
01:14:55 --> 01:15:00 Now, in the Bible, it says, in the book of Romans, 12th chapter, second verse, it says,
01:15:01 --> 01:15:05 and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
01:15:05 --> 01:15:11 your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
01:15:11 --> 01:15:17 Close us out by showing us how to apply this in our current political environment.
01:15:17 --> 01:15:24 It's interesting because I just had a conversation last night with my listeners
01:15:24 --> 01:15:31 around recognizing that regardless of what is happening around us,
01:15:31 --> 01:15:36 we have to take time to have deep roots in our faith,
01:15:37 --> 01:15:40 in our core beliefs, in our disciplines,
01:15:40 --> 01:15:42 in our practices.
01:15:42 --> 01:15:50 So that as storms and famine and desert-like experiences happen around us,
01:15:51 --> 01:15:55 we continue to show up as fruitful,
01:15:55 --> 01:15:58 as stable, as sustainable.
01:15:58 --> 01:16:04 But that's only going to happen if we are paying attention to our roots.
01:16:04 --> 01:16:11 Are we actually digging deeper into our core values, beliefs,
01:16:11 --> 01:16:18 our principles, our faith, our deep roots are what's going to help us sustain itself.
01:16:19 --> 01:16:23 Sustain through these seasons and the times that we are facing?
01:16:23 --> 01:16:26 Because if not us, then who?
01:16:26 --> 01:16:34 Those who actually are operating from a place ethically sound that absolutely
01:16:34 --> 01:16:43 truthfully reflects the image of God that truly shows up as a light in darkness.
01:16:44 --> 01:16:51 But that can only happen when we are paying attention to our root system,
01:16:51 --> 01:16:53 which will hold us steady and strong.
01:16:54 --> 01:16:59 Well, Dr. Veirdre Jackson, again, I am really, really honored that you took the
01:16:59 --> 01:17:01 time out to come on this podcast.
01:17:02 --> 01:17:05 You've been doing this work for a little bit.
01:17:06 --> 01:17:12 And, you know, I'm just real fortunate that I'm in a position where I can observe people.
01:17:13 --> 01:17:17 And even though this is the first time we've officially met or whatever,
01:17:17 --> 01:17:19 I'm just I'm honored to be in your presence.
01:17:19 --> 01:17:22 And again, I encourage you to keep doing what you're doing.
01:17:23 --> 01:17:28 If people want to tap into what you're doing, how can they do that?
01:17:29 --> 01:17:37 Just go to my website, livingstrongllc.com. Everything that I'm doing is all there.
01:17:38 --> 01:17:41 Yeah, the books, all that stuff. All that stuff.
01:17:41 --> 01:17:48 And Eric, can I just say I truly appreciated the invitation and the space and
01:17:48 --> 01:17:50 the depth of the conversation.
01:17:50 --> 01:17:57 You continue to do what you are doing as a voice of power and excellence and integrity.
01:17:58 --> 01:18:00 Well, thank you. I appreciate that.
01:18:00 --> 01:18:03 All right, guys. And we're going to catch y'all on the other side.
01:18:08 --> 01:18:14 Music.
01:18:14 --> 01:18:21 All right, and we are back. So I want to thank Zanetia Henry and Dr.
01:18:21 --> 01:18:24 Veirdre Jackson for coming on the podcast.
01:18:25 --> 01:18:31 As I stated before, these are women of faith that are doing incredible things
01:18:31 --> 01:18:39 in the community who have taken personal tragedy and challenges and transformed
01:18:39 --> 01:18:44 themselves in order to help transform the communities that they live in.
01:18:45 --> 01:18:52 And it's always an honor to have quality guests on this podcast.
01:18:53 --> 01:19:00 And like I said before, every guest that I've had has been quality and invaluable.
01:19:00 --> 01:19:03 As far as the work that they're doing.
01:19:03 --> 01:19:09 So please keep track with them. If you want to support what they're doing,
01:19:09 --> 01:19:11 please reach out to them.
01:19:11 --> 01:19:18 And I'm sure they'll greatly appreciate it. And I think you'll appreciate what they're doing.
01:19:20 --> 01:19:25 So let me get into a couple of things I want to talk about.
01:19:26 --> 01:19:30 So we had two major events happen this week.
01:19:30 --> 01:19:37 We had the United States of America engaging in a wartime activity,
01:19:37 --> 01:19:45 and we had an election in the largest city in the country for the mayor's position.
01:19:46 --> 01:19:48 As far as the,
01:19:49 --> 01:20:02 strategic move, a military move that we did to try to eliminate Iran's nuclear capacity.
01:20:03 --> 01:20:08 You know, as somebody that is, even though I wasn't at a federal level,
01:20:08 --> 01:20:14 you know, as an elected official, you know, you have to look at decisions that have to be made.
01:20:14 --> 01:20:16 The United States is very unique.
01:20:17 --> 01:20:23 After World War II, we kind of were assigned as being the policemen of the world.
01:20:24 --> 01:20:27 There's a lot of people that don't like that. There's a lot of people that voted
01:20:27 --> 01:20:29 for Donald Trump that don't like that.
01:20:30 --> 01:20:35 They're considered, by political terms, isolationists, right?
01:20:36 --> 01:20:44 But what President Trump has realized, that that's easier said than done in this day and age,
01:20:44 --> 01:20:53 whether it's dealing with tariffs or corporate taxes or immigration or even
01:20:53 --> 01:20:57 our role as the policeman of the world,
01:20:57 --> 01:21:02 it's kind of hard to be an isolationist in reality.
01:21:03 --> 01:21:10 And so for those of you who take an extreme position,
01:21:10 --> 01:21:19 I think that it is in the best interest of the United States to make sure that
01:21:19 --> 01:21:21 a country that, for whatever reason,
01:21:22 --> 01:21:23 has supported terrorism—.
01:21:25 --> 01:21:33 And if you want extreme rebellion, right, that we want to minimize their capacity
01:21:33 --> 01:21:35 to create a nuclear bomb.
01:21:36 --> 01:21:39 We've got too many countries that have nuclear bombs already,
01:21:39 --> 01:21:40 United States included.
01:21:40 --> 01:21:46 And I'm of the generation that grew up. I didn't have to do the drills in school,
01:21:46 --> 01:21:49 you know, going under the desk in case a nuclear bomb.
01:21:49 --> 01:21:56 How that would help me, I don't know. But I heard somebody joking about how
01:21:56 --> 01:22:01 those deaths must have been awesome back then to think that nuclear fallout would protect us.
01:22:02 --> 01:22:06 The deaths would protect us from nuclear fallout. But I wasn't of that generation,
01:22:06 --> 01:22:11 but I did grow up in the latter part of the Cold War era.
01:22:12 --> 01:22:17 And to be honest, it played a role in what college I decided to go to.
01:22:18 --> 01:22:23 Right. So I was very aware of that as a young person.
01:22:24 --> 01:22:30 And so when we get into these discussions about nuclear treaties and non-proliferation
01:22:30 --> 01:22:36 and all this stuff, the less countries, the better that have nuclear weapons.
01:22:36 --> 01:22:40 And if you watch the movie Oppenheimer,
01:22:40 --> 01:22:48 do you understand that even though he was the lead in creating the atomic bomb
01:22:48 --> 01:22:54 or atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki back in World War II,
01:22:55 --> 01:23:00 that he devoted the latter part of his life to discourage militaries from using
01:23:00 --> 01:23:02 this technology ever again, right?
01:23:03 --> 01:23:08 Just like Alfred Nobel. I mean, you know, we have the Nobel Peace Prize and
01:23:08 --> 01:23:13 other awards, you know, that you can get the Nobel Prize for,
01:23:13 --> 01:23:17 but he made his money by creating dynamite, right?
01:23:18 --> 01:23:26 And he basically wanted to make sure that we only use dynamite for industrial purposes, not war.
01:23:28 --> 01:23:36 And so, you know, all these people who created these weapons had a conscience.
01:23:37 --> 01:23:43 And right now we're in a situation where there are, let's see,
01:23:44 --> 01:23:47 you have Israel, India, Pakistan, and Russia.
01:23:48 --> 01:23:51 They all have nuclear weapons and they're all engaged in war right now.
01:23:53 --> 01:23:58 And that's not comforting. And then if you had thrown Iran in the mix and then
01:23:58 --> 01:24:05 now we're bombing Iran, you know, it's not a very stable time in the world.
01:24:07 --> 01:24:15 So I'm not against the concept of stopping a country from developing nuclear weapons.
01:24:15 --> 01:24:20 Now, if you're supportive of Iran, you're like going with Israel has nuclear
01:24:20 --> 01:24:22 weapons, so that's our rival.
01:24:23 --> 01:24:28 So we need to have some as a deterrent to keep them from jumping on us.
01:24:28 --> 01:24:32 Yeah, how's that going? Because India and Pakistan both have nuclear weapons
01:24:32 --> 01:24:37 and they went after each other already this year, right?
01:24:39 --> 01:24:43 So it's not the deterrent that people claim it is.
01:24:43 --> 01:24:53 But the issue with us is not the mission, which even if it delayed them for
01:24:53 --> 01:24:55 a couple of months was successful.
01:24:55 --> 01:25:00 Right. It was the way that they went about doing it.
01:25:00 --> 01:25:07 Because if you're going to commit soldiers to bomb another country,
01:25:07 --> 01:25:13 the very least you can do is to get Congress on board.
01:25:13 --> 01:25:15 That's the way it was set up in the Constitution.
01:25:17 --> 01:25:23 And it's, you know, and the concept behind that was courtesy.
01:25:24 --> 01:25:29 Because these individuals represent the people. The Senate represents the states.
01:25:29 --> 01:25:30 It's the House represents the population.
01:25:32 --> 01:25:39 So, you know, the crafters of the Constitution felt that instead of a president
01:25:39 --> 01:25:44 doing like kings back in the day and just declaring war on somebody,
01:25:44 --> 01:25:47 you'd have to get the consensus of the people to get behind it.
01:25:48 --> 01:25:49 That's why they put that in the Constitution.
01:25:51 --> 01:25:56 So, you know, and President Trump's not the first president to do this.
01:25:56 --> 01:25:58 President Obama did it. I think Biden did it.
01:25:59 --> 01:26:06 You know, you know, we've had some presidents take actions without congressional approval before.
01:26:06 --> 01:26:11 And so when you hear congressmen, especially those who have been there for a
01:26:11 --> 01:26:17 while saying we got to do something about that, it's it's basically a frustration,
01:26:17 --> 01:26:19 not with this president, but with all presidents.
01:26:21 --> 01:26:24 And that's why you have Democrats and Republicans saying, yeah,
01:26:24 --> 01:26:25 we probably shouldn't have done that.
01:26:25 --> 01:26:32 But since we did do it, all right, let's maneuver around that and see what happens.
01:26:33 --> 01:26:38 Like they've always had to do. And then when you did let them know,
01:26:38 --> 01:26:44 like you called just the Republican folks and didn't call the Democratic Congress
01:26:44 --> 01:26:46 people, which was petty.
01:26:47 --> 01:26:53 It's like the courtesy is that you contact all the leadership in Congress,
01:26:54 --> 01:26:59 the chair and the ranking member of the respected committees.
01:27:01 --> 01:27:04 Or what they call the Gang of Eight, even.
01:27:05 --> 01:27:09 Didn't do that. You know, just let some of the Republicans know,
01:27:10 --> 01:27:13 hey, we're doing this, so, you know, get ready.
01:27:13 --> 01:27:24 You know, and if you watch the press conference that the Secretary of Defense had,
01:27:24 --> 01:27:33 you realize that we've got some people making major decisions that ain't ready for prime time.
01:27:34 --> 01:27:39 They're in the positions now as a citizen. We hope that they don't screw it up.
01:27:41 --> 01:27:47 But, you know, just to come out there and just attack the press for questioning
01:27:47 --> 01:27:51 what we did and why, that's what they're there for.
01:27:51 --> 01:27:54 They're not there to be cheerleaders. They're there to say, hey,
01:27:54 --> 01:27:56 are you sure you did the right thing?
01:27:57 --> 01:28:01 And, you know, if you convince them that you did the right thing,
01:28:02 --> 01:28:04 then they'll write the story that way.
01:28:04 --> 01:28:10 And the editorial boards of those newspapers and the editorial staff of the
01:28:10 --> 01:28:15 TV stations and all that will say, hey, we did the right thing.
01:28:15 --> 01:28:19 But if there's questions, then you need to answer them.
01:28:19 --> 01:28:24 And you need to be mature enough to understand that not everything's going to be perfect.
01:28:25 --> 01:28:27 Not everything's going to go as planned.
01:28:29 --> 01:28:33 And whatever mistakes you made, you need to be accountable to them.
01:28:33 --> 01:28:37 You can't tell people to ignore mistakes, right?
01:28:38 --> 01:28:44 You know, it's like, and then, Mr. President, you got the hyperbole stuff.
01:28:44 --> 01:28:45 I understand you're a salesman.
01:28:46 --> 01:28:49 You got that PT Barnum mentality and stuff.
01:28:50 --> 01:28:55 But look, man, you know, when you say you obliterated something and it ain't
01:28:55 --> 01:28:58 obliterated, that gets you in trouble.
01:28:58 --> 01:29:08 That gets you in serious trouble. So, you know, I'm not trying to see any war
01:29:08 --> 01:29:10 at all, especially with us involved.
01:29:12 --> 01:29:16 We understand in the world that we live in, that's why we have a military,
01:29:16 --> 01:29:17 that we have to be prepared.
01:29:18 --> 01:29:25 But, you know, it's not a cut and dry thing for me because you have to weigh
01:29:25 --> 01:29:29 out what's in the best interest of this nation and what's in the best interest of the world.
01:29:30 --> 01:29:33 And unfortunately, the United States signed up for that.
01:29:33 --> 01:29:37 And until they tell the world that we're not going to do that anymore,
01:29:37 --> 01:29:42 then that's what is expected of us.
01:29:43 --> 01:29:49 So, you know, as far as executing the mission, our soldiers did exactly what
01:29:49 --> 01:29:50 they were supposed to do.
01:29:50 --> 01:29:56 But now as far as what's going to happen afterwards, that's going to be up to
01:29:56 --> 01:29:57 the leadership of the nation.
01:29:57 --> 01:30:04 And despite the fact that they're in over their heads, as any good fan would
01:30:04 --> 01:30:09 do with their particular team, we hope they rise to the occasion, right?
01:30:10 --> 01:30:14 And that's always been my thing, even regardless of whether I voted for you or not.
01:30:15 --> 01:30:18 If you fail, that's not a good thing for us.
01:30:19 --> 01:30:22 You know, I don't want you to fail.
01:30:24 --> 01:30:29 And regardless of whether I agree with it or not, when you make that decision,
01:30:29 --> 01:30:33 I need you to be all in and I need you to be realistic about it.
01:30:33 --> 01:30:40 So anyway, that's my take on that. You know, there'll be some people that are like whatever.
01:30:40 --> 01:30:44 But most of the people that make commentary about this stuff has never taken
01:30:44 --> 01:30:48 an oath to uphold the Constitution. And I have.
01:30:50 --> 01:30:53 And my understanding of history and understanding our role.
01:30:54 --> 01:30:59 It's not an easy thing for me, but there were some things that should have been done better.
01:31:00 --> 01:31:06 And I can only pray going forward that we will do things better.
01:31:07 --> 01:31:14 And hopefully one day we'll never have to continue that role of being the policeman of the world.
01:31:16 --> 01:31:26 So let's talk about New York City. Zoran Mamdani is on his way to be the Democratic
01:31:26 --> 01:31:30 nominee for the position of mayor of New York City.
01:31:31 --> 01:31:41 He's 33 years old, and he's been a legislator in the New York Assembly.
01:31:41 --> 01:31:47 And he beat Andrew Cuomo for the position, a former governor,
01:31:48 --> 01:31:54 son of a governor, very high-profile individual who was very, very flawed.
01:31:54 --> 01:31:58 But yet and still, Andrew Cuomo finished second.
01:31:59 --> 01:32:05 And a lot of people, a lot of people in the Democratic establishment got behind
01:32:05 --> 01:32:09 Andrew Cuomo over this young man, Mom Donnie.
01:32:10 --> 01:32:18 Now, part of that is payback, because Mamdani was part of the uncommitted movement.
01:32:19 --> 01:32:23 For those of you who may have forgotten, the uncommitted movement was the group
01:32:23 --> 01:32:30 of folks that were protesting the United States' support of Israel in their fight with Hamas.
01:32:31 --> 01:32:36 And they pledged that they weren't going to vote for Vice President Harris or
01:32:36 --> 01:32:41 anybody as a sign of protest.
01:32:41 --> 01:32:46 And so there were those folks in the Democratic establishment that did not want
01:32:46 --> 01:32:50 this guy who was part of the uncommitted movement to be elected to anything,
01:32:50 --> 01:32:52 let alone the mayor of New York City.
01:32:54 --> 01:33:02 But you got behind a guy who was under investigation for stuff he did while
01:33:02 --> 01:33:06 he was governor, especially during COVID, right?
01:33:08 --> 01:33:15 Misappropriation of funds, primarily. He was accused of sexually harassing 13
01:33:15 --> 01:33:18 people that worked for him,
01:33:18 --> 01:33:24 not just 13 random women, 13 people that worked for him. Right.
01:33:24 --> 01:33:35 And he went after them pretty hard. I mean, he even asked for their gynecological records.
01:33:35 --> 01:33:39 I know I'm butchering that word right there. Their medical records.
01:33:40 --> 01:33:46 He wanted all of that just to prove that he didn't sexually harass these people.
01:33:46 --> 01:33:54 But he got a third of the vote. He actually won two of the five boroughs, right?
01:33:55 --> 01:34:01 And may have won three, but he definitely won two of the five boroughs.
01:34:03 --> 01:34:08 Donnie went in to, and Manhattan was like kind of neck and neck, I think.
01:34:09 --> 01:34:14 So now there's some concerns. You know, in the black community,
01:34:14 --> 01:34:18 there's some concerns about Mom Donnie.
01:34:18 --> 01:34:21 In the Jewish community, there's concerns about Mom Donnie.
01:34:22 --> 01:34:26 The white community, especially Wall Street, there's concerns about Mom Donnie.
01:34:28 --> 01:34:34 But the reality is, is that my mom, Donnie, did what candidates are supposed to do.
01:34:34 --> 01:34:42 He actually went everywhere, talked to as many people as he could and got support.
01:34:43 --> 01:34:47 He got support in areas where people didn't think he was going to get support
01:34:47 --> 01:34:50 because he physically made a presence.
01:34:50 --> 01:34:53 He utilized social media to the extreme.
01:34:54 --> 01:34:59 He had commercials for the Hispanic community. He had commercials for the black
01:34:59 --> 01:35:01 community. He had commercials for the white community.
01:35:01 --> 01:35:04 He had commercials for the Indian community. He had commercials for everybody.
01:35:06 --> 01:35:11 And Muslim community. I mean, he did what a candidate is supposed to do.
01:35:12 --> 01:35:15 And, you know, just because there was a black candidate in that race,
01:35:16 --> 01:35:20 the lady who was the speaker of the council, right, the presiding officer of
01:35:20 --> 01:35:22 the New York City Council was running.
01:35:23 --> 01:35:26 And she couldn't get the black vote, right?
01:35:27 --> 01:35:31 It was either Cuomo or Mamdani that got the lion's share of that.
01:35:32 --> 01:35:35 So the issue becomes, again.
01:35:37 --> 01:35:42 Which direction does Democratic Party want to go? Do we want to continue to
01:35:42 --> 01:35:48 recycle people and just stay within our comfort zone?
01:35:48 --> 01:35:56 Or do we want to change things up a little bit to address the time that we're in?
01:35:57 --> 01:36:03 And it sounds like the citizens of New York made the decision that we need to change direction.
01:36:03 --> 01:36:07 And so now there's going to be a big debate in the Democratic Party of whether
01:36:07 --> 01:36:09 we should follow that road or not.
01:36:10 --> 01:36:13 But this is just another level because, you know,
01:36:13 --> 01:36:19 you've heard me mention David Hogg and his move to go after certain incumbents
01:36:19 --> 01:36:26 and Democratic primaries and challenging the establishment Democrats like Carville and other folks.
01:36:26 --> 01:36:30 You know, now Bernie Sanders said something that was out of pocket,
01:36:30 --> 01:36:37 you know, about Vice President Harris saying that's how you win elections.
01:36:37 --> 01:36:43 And it's like, last time I checked, you ran for president twice and didn't win.
01:36:44 --> 01:36:49 So I probably wouldn't be, at least she got the nomination, right?
01:36:50 --> 01:36:53 Because the people could have said, no, we want you instead of her.
01:36:54 --> 01:36:58 Even, you know, when they were drafting somebody against Joe Biden.
01:36:59 --> 01:37:02 You know, you lost to Hillary Clinton. You lost to Joe Biden.
01:37:05 --> 01:37:10 So, Senator, you were a little out of pocket. And Kamala got more votes than
01:37:10 --> 01:37:11 you did in your own state.
01:37:13 --> 01:37:21 So, let's not do that. But I will agree that Mamdani represents a new direction.
01:37:22 --> 01:37:26 Now, whether that will translate outside of New York City, we don't know.
01:37:27 --> 01:37:30 But it is a reminder that all politics is local.
01:37:31 --> 01:37:34 And so what I would, the lesson that I would give to people,
01:37:35 --> 01:37:40 especially those on the Democratic side, is that you have to be in tune with
01:37:40 --> 01:37:43 the community that you're trying to represent.
01:37:44 --> 01:37:50 To be engaged and your message needs to be based off what the people want and
01:37:50 --> 01:37:56 need instead of you projecting to them what they need.
01:37:57 --> 01:38:04 Patriarchal liberalism or patriarchal democratic politics is not going to fly anymore.
01:38:05 --> 01:38:10 You have to be in touch and in tune with the people that you want to represent.
01:38:11 --> 01:38:15 That means sometimes going to places that you are not comfortable in.
01:38:16 --> 01:38:21 And you're not always going to succeed. Like I've told stories before,
01:38:21 --> 01:38:25 I've given speeches where I was the only black person in the room.
01:38:26 --> 01:38:30 But, you know, you go where the votes are.
01:38:32 --> 01:38:40 And you have to try to connect with them. And I always make the judgment that I didn't do enough.
01:38:41 --> 01:38:46 If I don't win, I didn't do enough to connect. When I do win, I did enough to connect.
01:38:49 --> 01:38:54 So we're going to watch how this plays out because Mamdani is the Democrat
01:38:54 --> 01:38:58 nominee, but he hasn't won yet because Eric Adams, the incumbent mayor,
01:38:58 --> 01:39:03 is running as an independent. and now there's talk that Cuomo may run as an independent.
01:39:04 --> 01:39:09 He's, in the way New York City rules are, he's eligible to run as an independent.
01:39:11 --> 01:39:17 So we'll see. We'll see if this all pans out and Mamdani gets to be the mayor.
01:39:19 --> 01:39:29 And we'll see how receptive the Democratic Party is once the election results come out in November.
01:39:30 --> 01:39:34 If I lived in New York City, I probably would have voted for Ms.
01:39:34 --> 01:39:39 Adams, who was the Speaker of the House, the Speaker of the Council.
01:39:41 --> 01:39:44 She came across as a terrible candidate, right?
01:39:44 --> 01:39:50 And something didn't resonate with her own people, right? So you had to look
01:39:50 --> 01:39:52 at that, but I probably would have supported her.
01:39:53 --> 01:40:01 But nonetheless, she was part of the group that, you know, with Mamdani and Comptroller Ladner.
01:40:02 --> 01:40:06 They were basically saying, well, you know, vote for us first and then vote
01:40:06 --> 01:40:08 for the other two, second and third.
01:40:09 --> 01:40:12 So they were part of, those three were kind of working in concert,
01:40:12 --> 01:40:18 you know, but I mean, we're going to watch and see how it works, right?
01:40:18 --> 01:40:22 If she gets behind Mamdani, that's going to help.
01:40:23 --> 01:40:28 Ladner is definitely going to get behind Mamdani. That's going to help in reaching out to people.
01:40:29 --> 01:40:34 Be interesting to see how some of the other folks, there's some people that,
01:40:34 --> 01:40:39 you know, ran for mayor before, I think Mamdani is the answer.
01:40:40 --> 01:40:45 We'll see. And then, of course, there's governing, which Brandon Johnson is
01:40:45 --> 01:40:48 finding out, because Brandon Johnson kind of ran the same way in Chicago.
01:40:48 --> 01:40:50 He was the grassroots candidate.
01:40:51 --> 01:40:53 You know, he was involved with the teachers union.
01:40:53 --> 01:40:58 Him and Mamdani's politics are pretty similar. And he got elected.
01:40:58 --> 01:41:06 You know, he beat an incumbent mayor and whose popularity had dropped considerably by that time.
01:41:07 --> 01:41:12 So, you know, and he's going through a lot of stuff, even though there's been
01:41:12 --> 01:41:17 some progress in the city as far as it being safer and, you know, affordable housing.
01:41:17 --> 01:41:25 He's still not I don't know he's just he's turning people off for some reason
01:41:25 --> 01:41:34 so we'll see how that goes and maybe there's some lessons that Mamdani can learn where he won't.
01:41:35 --> 01:41:38 The same struggles that Johnson is going through in Chicago.
01:41:39 --> 01:41:46 Karen Bass in Los Angeles, same thing. She's had major crises with military
01:41:46 --> 01:41:48 invasion of Los Angeles,
01:41:48 --> 01:41:54 immigration raids, the fires in Altadena and other Pacific Palisades and other places.
01:41:55 --> 01:41:59 So she's been challenged, right? Keisha Lance Bottoms, who's going to run for
01:41:59 --> 01:42:03 governor, she served one term and she was serving during the pandemic.
01:42:03 --> 01:42:12 So she had that going on and her battles with the governor and the George Floyd
01:42:12 --> 01:42:15 protests and her relationship with the police.
01:42:16 --> 01:42:23 You know, it's not easy governing. It's easier to campaign than it is to govern.
01:42:23 --> 01:42:28 So that's going to be the real test. You know, if Mamdani pulls this off,
01:42:28 --> 01:42:32 then the real test is going to be how those four years as mayor,
01:42:33 --> 01:42:37 can he do all of the stuff that he wants to do?
01:42:37 --> 01:42:42 There's some stuff he probably can't do, but being somebody that's been in the
01:42:42 --> 01:42:47 legislature, he's probably got some friends to try to help him do some things that he wants to do.
01:42:48 --> 01:42:53 Don't know how he's going to play that, but I think that's the real test,
01:42:53 --> 01:42:59 how he's going to But it kind of goes back to the conversation I was having with Dr.
01:42:59 --> 01:43:07 Jackson that is like, are we going to be so paranoid and fearful that we just
01:43:07 --> 01:43:11 stay in our comfort zone and just vote for the name that we know?
01:43:13 --> 01:43:18 Going to take some chances to move, in this case, New York City,
01:43:18 --> 01:43:23 or in my case, the state of Georgia or the nation?
01:43:23 --> 01:43:25 Are we going to move in a different direction?
01:43:26 --> 01:43:32 Because right now, the direction we're in is very divisive, very unproductive.
01:43:32 --> 01:43:40 And I mean, we got a U.S. Congress that still has not passed a major piece of legislation yet.
01:43:40 --> 01:43:46 They're still debating about the appropriations bill, right?
01:43:46 --> 01:43:49 I know people have put all sorts of adjectives and all that stuff.
01:43:49 --> 01:43:51 It's an appropriation. It's the budget.
01:43:52 --> 01:43:56 That's all it is. It's a budget. It's not big or whatever. It's a budget.
01:43:58 --> 01:44:06 And they're having a struggle trying to pass a budget, let alone anything else. That's unproductive.
01:44:07 --> 01:44:09 You know, so we've got to do better.
01:44:11 --> 01:44:18 And we've got to stop being afraid of approaches to leadership.
01:44:19 --> 01:44:24 We've got to stop being afraid of charting a new course to do better.
01:44:25 --> 01:44:31 Whatever you may think of individuals running for office, whatever you may think
01:44:31 --> 01:44:37 of politicians in general, the system we have is that we elect people to lead,
01:44:37 --> 01:44:40 and we need to buy into that vision.
01:44:40 --> 01:44:44 We don't need to vote out of fear. We need to vote out of hope.
01:44:45 --> 01:44:50 We need to believe that the people that we elect are going to make our lives
01:44:50 --> 01:44:55 better without interfering with our life because that's the balance.
01:44:56 --> 01:44:59 You don't want a heavy-handed government, but at the same time,
01:44:59 --> 01:45:03 you don't want a government to restrict us or a government that's ineffective.
01:45:04 --> 01:45:11 So those are my thoughts. Feel free to comment. Feel free to let me know what you think.
01:45:12 --> 01:45:15 And thank you for listening. Until next time.
01:45:16 --> 01:46:03 Music.
Related Episodes
Year 249
In this Hot Mic episode, host Erik Fleming talks about the price of and the investment in independence. He also dives into the recent appropriation bill passed by the U.S. Congress.
Amplified & Authentic Featuring Lisa Durden
In this episode, on this special post-Juneteenth edition, the amplified and authentic Lisa Durden, media commentator and producer extraordinaire, talks about her hometown, as well as pertinent issues in the news.
Hope & Safety Featuring Angela Giampolo and Dr. Felecia Pullen
In this episode, Angela Giampolo, the self-described "Philly Gay Lawyer", discusses the challenges of her unique law practice and her Caravan of Hope. Then, Dr. Felecia Pullen, President & CEO of Let's Talk SAFETY, Inc., talks about how her journey from addiction led to her crusade for recovery ...