Locker Room for Growth

He was raised in the conservative south, where being gay would surely be shunned both societally and politically. Yet Jay Claypool found his calling here, twice. Growing up wasn’t easy in Augusta, Georgia but when Claypool discovered drag, it authenticated his identity and led him to find support in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. As his Dixie Crystal persona rocked the Augusta nightclub scene, 9/11 hap...

He’s a master hairstylist and stage artist who has raised millions of dollars for charity.  Rod Sickler is known as an innovator in the beauty industry. The owner of Rod Sickler Salon & Spa, Clutch Cuts, and Images by Rod & Co, Sickler has taught some of the best stylists in the industry.   A licensed cosmetologist and barber with an advanced degree from the Vidal Sassoon Institute in Lond...

They may call European football, or soccer, The Beautiful Game, but in America, the sport that owns that title in soul and spirit is baseball. Anyone who has ever attended a game in person, whether it was double A, triple A, or professional – every experience has one thing in common: atmosphere.   Ken Smoller has spent a lifetime capturing the sights and smells of over 2,350 stadiums in 48 states...

He flew over 3,750 fighter hours with 1,240 arrested landings on multiple aircraft carriers. He completed five tours at the Pentagon. Former Top Gun fighter pilot and Retired Two-Star Admiral Mike Manazir spent 36 years in the United States Navy with 15 overseas deployments. His duties included Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Warfighting Systems. Today, Manazir is Vice President of Navy Systems,...

Transgender and 2SLGBTQIA+ rights have been front and center of political dysfunction for generations. Society’s hypocrisy and hate is blasting in bright pink neon if you look at pop culture and revered characters over the years. Tim Curry in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire, Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, and several Halloween costumes to name a few. Savannah Hauk is a...

When looking at his childhood, it’s no surprise that D’Angelo Stefani’s life morphed into a statistic. From living with drug addicted parents in an abusive household, to being shuffled through the foster care system, to being homeless at age 11, drugs and crime are almost inevitable if there are no capable adults in the room to guide you. It was after he served ten years in prison for a bank robbe...

It was a global pandemic that the world was unprepared for. Millions died. Many millions more still suffer from long-term effects. At the time, we were shocked by the images, and scared. One could say the epicenter of Covid-19 was New York City, where the dead overwhelmed the morgues. Who could forget the images of the trucks lined up outside hospitals to stockpile the bodies? Nobody was immune an...

Dan Henk defines the term warrior. You could say that his chosen genre of dark sci-fi horror defines his life. If dark science fiction looks unflinchingly at things that make us uncomfortable without a sugarcoat, then that would amply describe the plot twists that this artist and writer have experienced. Like an HBO drama series, Henk has seen his fair share of villains. Experiencing homelessness...

Have you ever been in a funk where life has gotten stale, and you’re unsure of the direction you want to take. Or maybe you were laid off from a long-term corporate job and are having a hard time finding a decent paying non-service industry job that isn’t physically taxing. Maybe you’ve had enough of a toxic workplace but don’t know how to move on. Do you need to reinvent yourself? Having the nice...

Are you happy? Well, there is a scientific measurement that can confirm how happy you really are. There are statistics to show that happiness practices in the workplace increase productivity, innovation, lower sick leave, and reduce turnover. Dr Alphonsus Obayuwana was a medical student in 1979 when he was awarded a national research grant and SmithKline Medical Perspective Fellowship. The task at...

Anna Storm represents every young girl who was ever picked on in school and bullied by her peers. She shows them it is possible to find acceptance, to gain confidence in yourself, and prove to everyone that you can live your best life and slay. Storm learned to develop her confidence through performing and music. Since leaving her hometown, she has never looked back. She is an Emmy Award winning p...

Those of you who grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada may remember him as Allan Cabral. Allan Blitz has since been pumping out great rock tunes. Blitz is a Brazilian-Canadian 2SLGBTQI+ singer-songwriter based in Toronto. He previously worked for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and today is a photographer and digital content creator for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. His latest song, Alien, is a P...

Under the musical imprint of G'sta, Sean Self is a rapper, producer, and record-label owner whose journey includes loss, survival, and Hurricane Katrina. Self is the owner and CEO of SoStimulus Entertainment and Productions. He has collaborated with influential producers and harnessed their energy to infuse his own art with renewed creativity. His contributions helped reestablish New Orleans on th...

Sonia Satra is a soap opera star, award-winning mind-body coach, and motivational speaker. She knows first-hand about the ups and downs in both entertainment and entrepreneurship. You might have seen her as Lucy Cooper Spaulding on the longest running daytime soap, the Guiding Light. She also portrayed Psycho Nurse Barbara on One Life to Live. The founder of Moticise, Satra helps people find their...

You may not know Tom Fletcher as a household name, but you have seen his work. In single-handedly transforming the way we watch sports; he is the man behind the unique camera angles you see in every sports broadcast because of his genius at using robotic cameras. Here are a few: Above the rim and behind the backboard in basketball Behind-the-net and inside the net in hockey Center ice speed shot f...

She's a long time Washington State lawmaker with her name on too many bills to mention. Senator Karen Keiser represents Washington’s 33rd Legislative District, which includes Seattle and Kent. She has championed working families, improving economic security for women, worked on reforming Washington’s healthcare system, helped pass paid family and medical leave, and so much more. A former broadcast...

It’s sadly all too common to hear homophobic and racist slurs inside every hockey dressing room across all levels. Former professional hockey player Brock McGillis knows this all too well. He came out as gay in 2016 after his retirement, and since then has been on a mission to fight homophobia in hockey. McGillis provides inclusivity training for organizations while also encouraging and educating...

Two leading Black Sox Scandal scholars Jacob Pomrenke and Dr. David Fletcher edited a new release called: Joe Jackson, Plaintiff, v Chicago American League Ball Club, Defendant: The Never-Seen-Before Trial Transcript. It is the full testimony from Shoeless Joe Jackson’s 1924 courtroom trial against the Chicago White Sox and team owner Charles Comiskey when he sued for breach of contract after the...

Celebrity culture goes as far back as ancient Greece where live theater was all the rave. During times of struggle, entertainment is an escape that allows us to disappear from the realities of life, if only for just a short while. Samita Nandy is a filmmaker, actor, author, and broadcast journalist with a doctorate in celebrity culture from the Department of Media at Curtin University in Australia...

Csongor Daniel is one of the first officially recognized bioenergy healers and the author of four books, including Bioenergy Healing – Simple Techniques for Reducing Pain and Restoring Health through Energetic Healing. Among those who have sung his praises, one reader said it’s the best healing book they’ve ever bought. He defines human energy from the quantum physical point of view. His practical...

Greg Thomas was born in Texas but received an athletic scholarship to the University of Arkansas and became the first Black starting quarterback. Under the guise of coach Ken Hatfield, with the Razorbacks, Thomas amassed 3140 combined yardage and 23 career touchdowns. The team earned a winning record in his four seasons. His book: No Doubting Thomas “Hawg Whisperer” My Arkansas Memoirs chronicles...

Sophia Dias is a speaker, fashion designer, music artist, and chef, but she also has a significant insight on isolated partners who are brought into a foreign country and who experience domestic violence. Hers is a story of trauma, survival, and finding the light towards freedom. From Goa, India to Chicago, Illinois, Dias has become a one-woman army who built a thriving career, which includes writ...

Tarris Marie is a screenwriter and actress whose first novel is creating waves, and as one reader calls it, a riveting page-turner. Blaque Pearle is a female crime thriller that centers on the shattered dreams of an actress who entangles herself into a criminal underworld. Like her character, Marie has seen her own series of challenges, namely Stargardt’s Disease. Despite losing her vision, career...

He’s charismatic. He’s interesting, creative, and inspiring, and he’s from my maternal homeland. John Morris is a painter and mental health mentor who hails from Scotland. He hosts the Mind, Body, and Soul Show for the Los Angeles Tribune, and speaks about art, self-discovery, growth, and yes, even wrestling. Morris’ Inside the Cinematic Mind series is worth seeing, where he dives deep into the pe...

Ruth Rathblott is really good at hiding. For 25 years, she was able to keep her colleagues and bosses from seeing her misshapen hand. The sad thing is she is not alone. A 2013 workplace study shows that 61% of employees hide some part of their identity. Another report exposes that of the 90% of firms claiming to embrace diversity, only four percent consider that to include disability. A 2019 Forbe...