Conversations on the Road

There's a family I've never written about. Growing up, I had four brothers—but only two I knew. The others were like ghosts: I knew they were there, I just couldn't see them. When my father passed, I finally held their names and addresses in my hands, and I did the bravest thing I could think of at the time — I wrote my brother Johnny a letter. And then I never sent it. It sat between the pages of...

This is a Short Drive — a solo reflection under 30 minutes, thoughts you can take with you. In this one I take you back to the first real hurdle of my adult life: leaving home at 18, Texas-bound, sure I had it all figured out — and finding myself four months later on a Greyhound bus riding home under the cloak of darkness. Looking back from this side of the road, I’ve come to understand that the b...

This mini episode is a side road to Episode 6, The Roads We Take Become Legacy. Recorded from a hotel room in London at 4:15 a.m., it’s a short reflection on what I learned while editing that episode—the tech fumbles, missed deadlines, stubbornness, and the reminder that most of us don’t learn on straight roads, we learn on curves. If Episode 6 left you wanting a little more, this is a look behind...

What does legacy really mean? In this episode of Conversations on the Road , I sit down with an old friend to talk about fatherhood, masculinity, identity, military life, and the paths we take when the lives we were taught to want no longer fit who we are. Sometimes legacy isn’t what we leave behind. Sometimes it’s the road we choose to walk instead. This is a public episode. If you would like to...

This episode is about what I’ve learned, and what I wish I had known—about relationships, especially trying to navigate love in spaces that weren’t necessarily designed with us in mind. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonathanjournals.substack.com

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Robert while in Dallas, Texas. We talk about dating, relationships, and what it means to choose peace at this stage in life. It’s an honest conversation about where we are, what we’ve learned, and what we’re no longer willing to carry . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visi...

In this solo episode, I reflect on my lived experience as a Black American and share some thoughts about how this country often reacts when Black women become visible and influential voices in public life, particularly in politics. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonathanjournals.substack.com

In this solo episode, I reflect on a decade of quiet loneliness, the kind that comes with shedding old versions of yourself and stepping into midlife. This is a late-night conversation about visibility, protection, and what it means to begin taking up space again. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonathanjourn...

A Chat with Two Jonathans In the first episode of Conversations on the Road, I'm introducing the heart behind the show. This podcast is about reflection, growth, and the conversations we carry with us as we move through life. To break the ice and begin this journey, my dear friend Jonathan Swisher joins me for an honest and easy conversation. We've known each other for years, and it felt right to...