Don't Water it Down

Jessica Dandridge Smith is Executive Director of The Water Collaborative, and alongside Deniseea Head, Ryan "Phlegm" Gilbert, and Nesby Phips, she dives into one of New Orleans' most overlooked public health issues: lead contamination. We break down how lead has become embedded in New Orleans' soil, water infrastructure, historic housing, and even playgrounds, exploring what deca...

Jessica Dandridge is the Executive Director of The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans, joined by Deniseea Head and Ryan “Phlegm” Gilbert for a conversation about the hidden history of steamboats in New Orleans and the complicated role they played in shaping the South. Together, we unpack how steamboats became one of the city’s most recognizable cultural symbols while also serving as a majo...

Jessica Dandridge, Deniseea Head, Ryan “Phlegm” Gilbert, and Nesby Phips are hosts and cultural storytellers decoding climate innovation through a New Orleans lens. We break down African-led climate solutions - from seafood supply chain apps connecting local fishers directly to consumers, to kinetic energy technology, flood mitigation systems, and recycled plastic building materials - and explore...

Brent Craige is the founder of Newtral Groundz Media, and he joins us to unpack the real implications of AI, technology, and who actually benefits from it. Together, we dig into the tension between innovation and harm, like questioning whether tools like ChatGPT should be restricted, regulated, or taught in schools as essential digital literacy. We talk about access gaps, misinformation, mental he...

Gregory Swafford is a community organizer and co-founder of Culture of Cleanliness, and he joins us to talk about what it really means to fight for environmental justice in Louisiana. We dig into how his work evolved from neighborhood cleanups to confronting invisible pollution tied to LNG facilities and petrochemical plants, and why so many frontline communities are forced to live with the health...

The Saltwater Underground Railroad is a little-known Black liberation network that predates Harriet Tubman and completely reframes how we understand freedom, Florida, and Black history. We break down how enslaved and free Black people escaped bondage by moving south through Florida and across open water to the Bahamas, aided by Black Seminoles and Indigenous communities who built autonomous settle...

Six days after the 2025 New Orleans Mayoral election, we sat down with Gregory Swafford, co-founder of the Culture of Cleanliness, and our hosts Jessica, Deniseea, and Ryan to talk straight about what really moves New Orleans forward: informed civic engagement and community action. We unpack our takeaways from the election, like low voter turnout, the locals vs. transplants dynamic, and how influe...

What would it really mean to live a day without water? In honor of the 2025 Imagine a Day Without Water on October 16th, Jessica, Deniseea, Ryan, and Nesby are digging into how something we take for granted touches every part of life: from brushing our teeth and cooking dinner to keeping schools open and communities running. We break down how water connects everything , health, culture, and daily...

For the first episode of our new season, Don’t Water It Down hosts Jessica, Deniseea, Ryan, and Nesby sat down with KD, Community Solutions Manager at the Alliance for Affordable Energy, at the One Water Conference in Pittsburgh, to unpack some of the biggest challenges New Orleans faces around water and energy. Together, we explore how government decisions and corporate influence shape our access...

Don’t Water it Down (DWID) is a live and pre-recorded video podcast hosted by four black voices, primarily from New Orleans, decoding climate jargon, over curated cocktails. These unique hosts bring their distinct perspectives and experiences to the table, discussing complex and challenging topics in an authentic and transparent manner. They use storytelling and knowledge sharing to build connecti...