People Interacting with People

In this episode, I sit down in conversation with Kesha in Atlanta. We had a very serendipitous meeting when I sat down at the bar where she works after visiting Gadsden, Alabama where my friend, Madeleine, was arrested for her participation in a Freedom Walk alongside Martin Luther King Jr. Before I could share this, Kesha was telling me about the podcast she wants to create which spotlights white...

In this episode, I sit down with Destiny who lives and works in Florida. Destiny and I met at the Fort Lauderdale Airport earlier this year and discovered we had a few things in common including being born and raised in Toronto. We stayed in touch with the intention of connecting again and sat down at her condo in Miami a little while ago to talk about her business selling real estate,  her experi...

In this episode, I continue my conversation with Anna who tells me about some of her artistic endeavours which include having a published book, writing for a documentary, and creating music. We talk about the need to be selfish and find the right support while pursing these creative things. Anna also shares her perspectives about raising a daughter, understanding Black men, the dynamics of the Bla...

In this episode, I sit down with Anna in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to chat with her about the work she does to bring more political power to the people, her views on the NAACP advisories that are still coming out today for Black people and People of Color traveling to various parts of the US, and some of the knowledge she has about housing. Anna and I are getting to know each other during this conv...

In this episode, I continue my conversation with Gordon. We talk about money, power, his experience listening to a broad range of Rap music, his theory when it comes to the representation of the Black family on TV in the 60s & 70s and how this mirrored reality. To see photos of my guests, check out my Instagram page @pipsperspective

In this episode, I sit down with Gordon after meeting him just a couple of days before and chatting for hours. Gordon is from a small town in Georgia, has served in Iraq, has been incarcerated or "in the chain gang", and has a very interesting perspective when it comes to the Black experience. To see photos of my guests, check out my Instagram page @pipsperspective

In this episode, I continue my conversation with Danny who tells me about his five minutes of fame singing with his all time favourite group at the Apollo Theater, his singing career, and a few of the not-so-nice encounters he had with police as a kid growing up in Harlem and the Bronx in the 70's & 80s. To see photos of Danny, check out my Instagram page @pipsperspective

In this episode, I sit down with Danny - aka MC Ski Jump - to talk about his experience coming up as one of the First Generation B-Boys in the Bronx. Danny - who I met by chance when I got lost driving through Fayetteville, North Carolina last year - came up with the likes of Grandmaster Flash and also originated some of those break dance moves we still see today. Stay tuned for next week's e...

In part two of my conversation with Artis, we talk about living in your authenticity, Artis performs some of his poetry - including one about living as a "same-gender-loving male" which leads to a longer discussion about this - and we talk about how being blessed still comes with its bullshit. Artis has written over 600 Haikus - some of which he shares with me - and has over 1000 poems c...

In this episode, I sit down with Artis - aka DJ ART.IS - in DC to talk about what art is, learning to pivot when things don't go according to plan, planting seeds when it comes to relationships, finding your tribe, and saying YES to opportunities. Artis is a DJ, a Poet, and an Art Activist curating many events for emerging artists in  and around DC. In this first part of our conversation, he...

In this second part of my conversation with DeMar, he tells me about Santeria, the spiritual practice he discovered while in Federal Prison and one he attributes to helping him to never go back. It's such a great story and DeMar is an amazing storyteller! Also a talented rapper known as "Fly Guy Impulse", we talk about DeMar's music - how he wrote his first raps while incarcera...

In this first episode of Season 3, I sit down near Catskill, New York where I met this next guest last year. DeMar, who was shooting a music video at the time, had been released from Federal Prison just a couple of years before we met. First incarcerated at the age of 12, and having spent 14 of his last 26 years in jail or prison, 38-year-old DeMar shares his journey and experiences with me. He op...

IN this clip, meet Mac in North Carolina, Allison in Atlanta, and George in New York. Episode 2 Season 1: Mac and I met at Toronto Airport when I was living there for nine days. He was a flight attendant working in private aviation who was 'stationed' at the Sheraton Hotel there for a month. Upon learning I was sleeping on a bench in one of the departure lounges, he very kindly offered m...

In this clip, meet Damien in Kentucky, Namel in Harlem, and Fferé in DC. Episode 4 Season 1: Damien and I met at the Fort Campbell, Kentucky Army Base. He volunteered to come on the podcast to tell me about the challenges he faces and privilege he has as a fair-skinned Black man. We talk about the N-Word, the Bronx, and more in our episode. Episode 6 Season 2: Namel and I met on the sidewalk in Ha...

In this clip, meet Cat in the Bronx, Dray in Las Vegas, Leka in New York, and Kumei in Las Vegas. Episode 9 Season 2: Cat and I met through a mutual friend this summer in New York. She is my soul sister, my Taurean twin, a Minister, and Host of a TV Show called "The Next Chapter" in which she discusses "shades of grey".  Episode 5 Season 1: Dray and I met in Las Vegas in 2017....

In this clip, meet Aleathia in New York, Myles in LA, Judith in New Jersey & Kerric in Las Vegas. Episode 5 Season 2: Aleathia and I met while walking down the street in the Bronx. She is the creator of a movement to bring awareness to and change the narrative around bareheaded beauty. As she calls it "Hair Freedom". We talk about this and so much more in our episode. Episode 10 Seas...

In this clip, meet Jerry in New York, Alex in Las Vegas, Quatae in DC and Lisa in DC. Episode 7 Season 2: Jerry and I met on an overnight bus from Toronto to New York in 2016 where we chatted through the night and Jerry shared his life story with me. This young man, at just 21, had already been through so much. And six years later, he shares more of his story with me including a terrible run-in wi...

IN this clip, meet Marq in Las Vegas, Dominion in DC, Maya in DC, and Daijon in Las Vegas. Episode 6 Season 1: Marq and I met when I was sleeping I my car in Vegas. It turns out he's a talented musical artist and vocalist from Milwaukee who goes by the name MILLI3K. We talk music, Vegas, Milwaukee and why colour matters. Episode 1 Season 2: Dominion and I met when I happened to walk past the...

In this episode, I sit down with my new friend, Leka at his home in Catskill, New York. Leka and I met through a mutual friend and, following a few conversations about his life, I invited him to come on the podcast. Leka works as a Youth Counsellor and Duty Officer at a Boys' Maximum Security Prison in New York. We talk about the love he has for his job, his three daughters, and the importanc...

In this episode, I sit down with my new friend, and "Taurean Twin", Cat at her apartment in the Bronx. Cat tells me about how she feels about the Bronx, how she became a Minister at the age of ten, what she learned from the Jehovah's Witnesses, and how divinely guided her life has been. We talk about recognizing trauma, doing the work towards healing and self-love, and how this rela...

In this episode, I sit down with my new friend, George, at his shop in Catskill, New York called the Juice Branch. I met George when I arrived in Catskill and went to his shop to set myself up with a juice cleanse. George tells me all about what was in that juice cleanse, how his juice business came into being, and the benefits of living a plant-based lifestyle. We also talk about serving your com...

In this episode, I sit down with my very special friend, Jerry aka Swervo. Jerry and I met six years ago and spent all night talking on an overnight bus from Toronto to New York. In this episode, Jerry elaborates on that first conversation about growing up in the Bronx, having parents who were drug addicts, being abused by his stepmother, spending his teenage years in a psych ward, reuniting with...

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Namel to talk about how he combines Hip Hop Culture with Disability Culture after being shot and paralyzed in the Bronx in 1999 and starting a Hip Hop Duo called 4 Wheel City. We talk guns, the Grammys, working with Snoop Dogg and Yo Gotti, speaking at the White House, writing a letter to Stevie Wonder, finding motivation from Kobe and inspiration from pr...

In this episode, I sit down with my friend, Aleathia, to talk about her initiative called Unveiled Unlocked. She tells me about how it all started, its mission to change the narrative around being "bareheaded" or "hair free", and what they have coming up in celebration of their ten year anniversary in Harlem next month. We also talk about learned behaviours in childhood, the va...

In this episode, I sit down with my new friend, Quatae, to talk about hypnosis and hypnotherapy. After experiencing my first hypnotherapy session with Quatae a few days earlier, we discuss some of what happened in that session, the benefits of hypnosis and sound healing, generational trauma, and the power of the spoken word. AND, as a bonus, Quatae freely shares his experience with a past life reg...