StoryNoir

The Great Migration took place starting in the 1910’s and lasted until the 1970’s. Approximately 6 million Black folks moved from the American South to the Northern, Midwest and Western states, shaping the modern-day cities we know and love today, namely Oakland. Join this live conversation as I discuss these experiences through the lens of Black California, specifically with first, second and thi...

Welcome to Chapter 20 of the StoryNoir podcast. This is a part of a series of conversations with the artists from UC Berkeley’s Sounds Underground Talent Showcase. Take a listen as we explore mental health, understanding the boundlessness of our own creativity and taking a bit of inspiration from our environment and lived experiences. Sonny represents Hip Hop with his rhyme schemes, content, deliv...

Join this conversation as Dorothy Lazard discusses her debut novel, What You Don’t Know Will Make a Whole New World (2023). Miss Dorothy is a retired Oakland Librarian with a story that spans in the early days of The Great Migration in the 1960’s. The ever changing landscape of Oakland calls for the preservation of personal narratives to show the rich history that remains rooted in the fabric of t...

Welcome to Chapter 18 of the StoryNoir podcast. This is part of conversations with the artists from UC Berkeley’s Sounds Underground Talent Showcase. Today I’ll be in conversation with Farbod (@MyNameisFarbod). What does sunshine embodied look like? Look no further than Farbod Mirodani, a force to be reckoned with as a corporate lawyer turned musician. From attending Berkeley Law to then performin...

Welcome to Chapter 17 of the StoryNoir podcast. I’ll be reading “Tongues of Fire: Learning Critical Affirmation” from Sister of the Yam by bell hooks. Description of the text: This chapter distinguishes between the harsh critiques people give one another, which may contain 'truth', and liberating truth-telling, they are not the same. It examines whether people are really dedicated to truth-telling...

Navigating our own identity and the journey to self-love can be long when searching for purpose. Igniting the elements of who one truly is can take lifetimes, but Toccara N. Steele, Foundress of Vault of Steele Consulting and Publishing International, is an Identity Architect. She works with underestimated and highly successful clients through their own journey while being authentic and open with...

Welcome to Chapter 15 of the StoryNoir podcast. I’ll be reading “Peach Cobler” from The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (by Deesha Philyaw. Check out Deesha’s work deeshaphilyaw.com & @ deeshaphilyaw – Does something resonate with you from the episode? Please leave a review. Say hello: Instagram: @StoryNoir | Website: Storynoir.com – Disclaimer: No copyright infringement was intended. This readi...

Welcome to Chapter 14 of the StoryNoir podcast. This is part of conversations with the artists from UC Berkeley’s Sounds Underground Talent Showcase. Today I’ll be in conversation with Tristan Marcelle. She’s self-described as an R&B singer and songwriter from Louisville, Kentucky. Listen into our conversation as we talk about identity, finding our voices and shining while doing it! Support Tr...

Welcome to Chapter 13 of the StoryNoir podcast. I’ll be reading “Grandma’s Baby” & “Coco Butter Baby” by Krystaelynne S. Diggs, an author I recently discovered. Check out Miss Krystaelynne’s other work online (@ AllThingsDiggs ). – Does something resonate with you from the episode? Please leave a review. Say hello: Instagram: @StoryNoir | Website: Storynoir.com – Disclaimer: No copyright infri...

Welcome to Chapter 12 of the StoryNoir podcast. This is part of conversations with the artists from UC Berkeley’s Sounds Underground Talent Showcase. Gr8tness, an artist / rapper from Richmond, California. Take a listen as we explore mental health, navigating school and creative expression. You'll also get a sneak peek at some of his music. Support Gr8tness’ Work: @ TheyDontKnowAnt – Does somethin...

This is a reintroduction to the StoryNoir Podcast. I get to reflect on past guests and a preview of the upcoming episodes to look forward to. This is the season of harvest and collaboration. Let’s chat about partnerships and sponsorships. – How Sounds Underground Elevated the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop: https://tinyurl.com/4yw78e8n -- Does something resonate with you from the episode? Please leav...

What do your Q4 plans look like? As we head into the new year, holistically setting ourselves up for success is important, whether it’s in our career, personal life, or all of the above.  Monet Boyd (@ SuccessCoachMo ) works to find ways to assure women have access to a purposeful life and wealth building opportunities. Our conversation was full of nostalgia, gems and reflections between two...

Thank you for tuning into the StoryNoir podcast! Happy Black Breastfeeding Week. I broke down the complex history of body feeding and why that’s important context for the conversations we’re having around reproductive justice today. Support your local birth workers :) Want to talk more about Eponymous Birth Collective? Head over to https://www.storynoir.com/eponymous to schedule a call – More info...

Welcome to Chapter 8 of the StoryNoir podcast. I’m your host, Opal, and I’ll be facilitating a conversation with Kia Fay, affectionately known as Kia the Curl Consultant. Kia is a textured hair exclusive stylist and marketing expert hailing from the Bay Area. She teaches fold with natural hair texture about care practices through elevated and accessible education. Today, we struck up a fascinating...

What does intersectionality look like to you? For Rahul and Opal, growing up, their childhoods on opposite coasts couldn’t have been more different. However, they have something in common; they’re both adopted. Chapter 7 discusses how they both found the language to solidify their adoptive identities as adults and the ways they want to change the narrative and the ideas surrounding adoption. They...

What does it look like to successfully take a leap of faith and land on your feet? For Kameron, this meant leaving her job at a top law firm and pivoting to become an influencing marketing consultant and licenced attorney (woot woot!).  Kameron’s combination of beauty, brains and fashion informs how she stays up to date while using social trends to create content and lead others as they build...

What does a friendship look like to you? For Thien Pham and Briana Loewinsohn, their love of art solidifies their bond as a duo of Oakland-based educators who are also published authors. We’ll discuss Thien’s forthcoming book, Family Style: Memories from an American from Vietnam, and Briana’s debut comic book, Ephemera .  Although both storylines take the reader on separate journeys, we’re ab...

Thank you for tuning into Chapter 4 of the StoryNoir podcast! Today I’m joined by Raven ( @RavenHoneyYT ) a Los Angeles-based podcaster, YouTuber, creative and most notably - my dear friend of almost 20 years!  We discuss what it was like being an odd kid and how we’ve leveraged that as our superpower as adults. We also reflect on how we escaped the realities of our difficult childhoods by ge...

Welcome to episode 2 of the StoryNoir Podcast. I'm your host, Opal, and I was joined by Shelby Barlow. Shelby is a self-described Mississippi girl based in Miami, sharing her experiences as she's taking the world by storm. Shelby speaks from the heart with honest wisdom about her experiences with identity, speaking up in times of strife and pivoting careers as she sobers her mind, body and soul. H...

Thank you for tuning into the StoryNoir podcast! I had the pleasure of speaking with Shalonda Swanson of Yemoja Speaks. As a former foster youth Ms. Swanson understands the emotional challenges of healing. She reflected on her personal journey and have overcome emotional issues through writing poetry while she was in college. Currently she talks about healing through art, the impact of foster fost...

Hi, I’m Opal! 👋🏽 Thank you for tuning into the StoryNoir podcast! This is the inaugural episode of something I’ve had on my heart for over 3 years. I hope you’re able to walk away with a few gems. Does something resonate with you? Say hello online: Instagram: @StoryNoir Email: opal@storynoir.com Website: storynoir.com