Let's Grab Coffee

Episode Notes On this episode, SunAh welcomes Dr. Khalid Long, Assistant Professor of Theatre and Coordinator of Theatre Studies at Columbia College Chicago. Dr. Long is also a freelance dramaturg with a focus in production dramaturgy, and in this conversation, he describes how dramaturgs work behind the scenes to help plays come alive. Khalid also talks about his book project, which explores the...

Episode Notes On this episode, SunAh sits down with J. Whitlow, Creative Director of Privileged, LLC and the event curator for the Listen Out Loud R&B/Hip-Hop Festival. He talks about the motivation behind this festival and the role he hopes this event will play in the future for up and coming independent artists from across the country. He also shares some of his journey into his unique take...

Episode Notes On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Heba Gowayed, the Moorman-Simon Assistant Professor of Sociology at Boston University. Currently, 1 in 95 people are displaced globally. Dr. Gowayed describes the systems that support and/or constrain refugees in their new countries. She shares her research findings from her new book, _Refuge: How the State Shapes Human Potential, _which follow...

Episode Notes On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dana James Mwangi, Founder of Cheers Creative, a brand strategy consultancy, and Tennessee’s Grown with Google Digital Coach. This year Dana celebrates 10 years in business. In our conversation, she shares insights from her journey in entrepreneurship as well as lessons for small businesses who want to maximize their online presence. To connect w...

S1E62 - Muslim Women and Modest Fashion with Dr. Farha Ternikar

Episode Notes Notes go hereOn this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Heather Brandt, Director of the HPV Cancer Prevention Program and Co-associate Director for Outreach at St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center. Did you know that nearly everyone will get HPV at some point in their lives? HPV causes six kinds of cancers in women and men. Dr. Brandt explains the importance of the HPV vaccination and ad...

Episode Notes On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dr. Leann V. Smith, founder of The Mending Place, PLLC and a licensed psychologist. She shares why she created The Mending Place and the importance of culturally affirming therapeutic services. Leann details the various contributing factors to our mental wellness and the relationship between our support systems and stressors. For more on The Mend...

Episode Notes On this episode, SunAh welcomes Dr. L’Heureux Lewis-McCoy, an Associate Professor at New York University in the Sociology of Education program in the School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. He how the suburbs are changing both schools and communities and the changes that must be made to make the suburbs an “American Dream” worth having.

Episode Notes On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Ash Woody, Assistant Professor of African American Studies at California State University, Fullerton. Dr. Woody details their concept of ambient racism and how it can help us think about the effects of structural racism in our everyday experiences of space and place.

Episode Notes On this episode, SunAh talks with Dr. Héctor de Jesús-Cortés, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Director of the Sagrado-MIT Neuroscience Pre-college Program. He shares his research on neuropsychiatric disorders and possible interventions as well as the rather happenstance way he became interested in n...

Episode Notes On this episode, SunAh is joined by Kebo Drew, managing director of the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP). Kebo talks about the importance of creating and showing a wide-range of diverse stories and how QWOCMAP helps equip aspiring filmmakers to do so. She also shares the healing power of art and why art cannot be separated from community, politics, and empowerment.

Episode Notes On this episode, SunAh sits down with Lyman Aldrich, Chairman Emeritus of the Memphis in May International Festival. Lyman served as the president of the first Memphis in May, and in our conversation he shares the history behind this now famous festival. He describes how and why he intentionally created an interracial committee of young men and women and the primary goal of the first...

Episode Notes On today’s episode SunAh sits down with Dr. Deadric Williams, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Deadric provides historical context for how we think about families and family inequality today before outlining policies and programs that are needed to ensure the well-being of our communities.

Episode Notes On today’s episode, SunAh welcomes Natasha Hemmingway, a corporate and entrepreneurial-based Sales Coach and Speaker and the creator of Heart Not Hustle coaching firm. Natasha discusses why mindset is foundational to your business and shares several tips on how to shift your mindset. She details how to move through fear to take inspired action and how, as an entrepreneur, you should...

Episode Notes On today’s episode, SunAh sits down with Dr. Earl Wright, II, a professor of sociology at Rhodes College and the nation’s leading expert on W.E.B. DuBois and the Atlanta Sociological Laboratory. He discusses the importance of DuBois as well as many other Black sociologists to the field and why their early contributions were, and continue to be, largely excluded from the sociological...

Episode Notes On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Mary McConner, a scholar-practitioner in the field of higher education. Mary talks about diversity, equity, and inclusion – what it is and some common misunderstandings. She also describes how organizations can begin fostering inclusion. The show ends with Mary detailing what allyship is, why it’s important, and providing some ways that list...

Episode Notes One year ago "Let's Grab Coffee" hit the WYXR airwaves. Since then SunAh has chatted with a wide range of experts and young professionals from topics like health and wellness to debt and wealth, gender attitudes, and immigration and so many conversations about food, including food science, food authenticity, and the importance of Black farmers. On this episode, SunAh takes a trip dow...

Episode Notes On today’s episode SunAh welcomes Mia Saine, digital illustrator. They have collaborated with OisellexAllbirds, ACLU, and ThirtyThree; illustrated the Little People, Big Dreams book on Michelle Obama; and have been the featured illustrator for Memphis Magazine cover art, just to name a few of their works. Mia talks about the goals of their art, the power of representation, and their...

Episode Notes On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Kimberly McKee, associate professor in integrative, religious, and intercultural studies at Grand Valley State University, and Taneka Jennings, Adoptee and immigrant rights advocate who is currently a Campaign Manager with Adoptees For Justice. They situate international adoption within broader histories of immigration and U.S. race relation...

Episode Notes On today’s episode, SunAh sits down with Katelyn Hemmeke to discuss “Blue Bayou,” a film that follows the fictional story of a Korean adoptee facing deportation. Katelyn talks about the controversies surrounding the film, including the appropriation of an actual adoptee’s story, the ethics of representation, and the inattention to current legislation around adoptee citizenship rights...

Episode Notes On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Dominic Lawson, creator of The Start Up Life podcast and current podcast host, producer, and editor for Meadows Behavioral Healthcare. September 30th is International Podcast Day, a day to celebrate the power of podcasting, and Dominic shares how he has gone from taping podcast episodes in his closet to interviewing some of the most well-known e...

Episode Notes On today’s episode, SunAh sits down with Will Deyamport, III, Ed. D, a district instructional technologist for the Hattiesburg school district in Mississippi, serving grades K-12. He shares how he’s been implementing online instruction, the opportunities this format provides students and educators, and the possibilities for reimagining education. This conversation debunks myths that...

Episode Notes On today’s episode SunAh welcomes Ashley Aranmolate, MHA, BSN, RN, PMHNP-S, to discuss mental health and suicide prevention. Ashley offers a reframe of how we think about trauma, warning signs to be attuned to if someone is struggling with suicide, and what each of us can do if someone we know is having suicidal thoughts. She also shares some mental health wellness practices that eve...

Episode Notes On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Michael Rosino, an assistant professor of Sociology at Molloy College in Long Island, NY. He talks about what his recent book, _Debating the Drug War: Race, Politics, and Media, _can tell us about contemporary attitudes around drug policy and drug reform. He shares the most common enduring myths around drug use and offers insights into where...

Episode Notes On today’s episode, SunAh sits down with Cristina McCarter, foodpreneur and the creative mind behind many of Memphis’s favorite foodie events. She shares the how’s and why’s behind Memphis Dining Week, City Tasting Tours, and the Craft Food and Wine Festival. Cristina talks about her newest food venture with Lisa Brown - City Tasting Box, and how they are on a mission to bring the fl...