Please, Do Tell

Six months down. Six months to go. Ronnika and Jeffrey recorded this episode on the first day of the second half of the year — and the energy is locked in. This episode is two things at once: a real mid-year check-in on what the second half actually requires, and the full promotional pitch for Story Salon's Band Stories event on July 9th. Local musicians. Community history. The people who play...

Last day of June. Last episode of Black Music Month. Michigan is 60 degrees and calling it summer anyway. This episode holds what the month actually was — not the highlight reel, the real version. Ronnika barely made it through Father's Day and the music challenge kept her going. Jeffrey asked how many times people cook in a week and started a whole conversation. And Black Music Month got the...

The Knicks are NBA Champions. We had to sit in that before we could do anything else. Recorded the night before Juneteenth, premiering after the first day of summer — this episode carries all of it. The championship. The freedom. Jeffrey finally, officially in the Black Music Month challenge after three or (two) weeks on the sidelines (he had to answer for it, on air, live). This is the most celeb...

Episode 115: Checking In June 16, 2026 — Juneteenth Week So much happened this week and we needed to talk about all of it. The Knicks are still in the Finals. The Black Music Month challenge hit its midpoint — and we're finally checking in on Jeffrey's status (it's a whole conversation). Ronnika just came from Story Salon's Night of Benton Harbor Basketball Stories fundraiser at th...

On time. As promised. Unlike Episode 113. This episode turns Black Music Month outward — from personal stories to community power. The Black Music Month 30-Day Instagram Challenge is live, and this year the community submitted the prompts. The people decided what questions got asked. Ronnika and Jeffrey work through the challenge, share their answers live, and talk about what it means when the cul...

Yes, we're a few days late. And yes, Episode 114 drops tomorrow. Consider it a gift. This episode opens Black Music Month the way only Please, Do Tell can — not with a history lesson, but with a personal one. Ronnika and Jeffrey go through the songs that tell their stories. The house song. The heartbreak song. The celebration song. The one that sees them completely. The one playing right now....

Episode 112 · We Made It Through May The Mental Health Month finale. Memorial Day weekend. The community speaks — and Ronnika and Jeffrey receive. We looked back at the whole month. We wrote letters to ourselves. We closed the chapter the right way. Summer is here. We're ready. Are you? ☀️💜 💜 Resources in show notes. The work continues past May. 💜 Mental Health Resources:  988 Suicide &...

May 19th. Malcolm X's birthday. We've done the grief. We've done the healing. Now we're walking into summer knowing exactly who we are bold, joyful, and unapologetic about it. Mental Health Month isn't done yet — but this episode is the turn toward the finish line. Come ready to feel good. ✊🏾☀️ 💜 Resources in show notes. One more week of May. Let's finish strong. 💜 Ment...

Episode 110 · Dear Mama Mother's Day weekend. A tribute. A real conversation. And a name that says it all. Jeffrey lost his mother in 2020 — right before the pandemic closed the world. Ronnika, who lost her father in 2013, sits across from him and asks the questions grief deserves. Past. Present. Future. Who she was. What her loss cost. What she left behind inside of him. This is Please, Do Te...

Episode 109 premieres on Cinco de Mayo and Ronnika and Jeffrey are bringing both the celebration and the real talk. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This episode honors that fully through honest storytelling, the things we carried as kids without words for them, and a conversation about what healing actually looks like for us. Not the polished version. The real one. Because joy and healing we...

This week, Ronnika and Jeffrey head home - back to the block, the backyard, and the community that raised them. In honor of Financial Literacy Month and Earth Day, Episode 108 digs into what small, predominantly Black neighborhoods have always known: how to stretch a dollar, take care of the earth, and hold each other up long before it had a hashtag. Real stories. Real nostalgia. Real talk.  Pleas...

Culture isn't something that happens to us, it IS us. In Episode 107 of Please, Do Tell, Ronnika and Jeffrey dig into what's happening in Black culture right now and what it's really saying about how we're living our lives. Who celebrates you loudly? What does healing actually look like for us? Who is responsible for remembering our stories and what happens when we don't? We al...

Episode 106 explores the transition into a new season, both literally and personally. As college basketball comes to a close and baseball begins, we reflect on the shift into spring and the energy that comes with it. With longer days and more opportunities to gather, life can quickly become full. This episode centers on a common challenge: navigating multiple birthdays and events within a short pe...

Episode 105. New quarter, new energy. We are checking in on how Q1 really went and what April is bringing into our lives. From resetting goals to embracing the shift in season, this episode is all about stepping into something new. Plus, we are sharing our best spring break stories. The good, the chaotic, and the ones that still make us laugh. Tap in for culture, conversation, and a little foolish...

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the women who shaped us across generations, across seasons, and across the moments we didn’t fully understand until later. In this episode of  Please, Do Tell , Ronnika and Jeffrey talk about: • The traits we carry from the women who raised us • The lessons that didn’t click until adulthood • What we saw growing up vs w...

We recorded this one  after  watching the Tyrese vs Tank Verzuz… so you already know the stories got real 😅🎶 In this episode of  Please, Do Tell , Ronnika and Jeffrey close out Women’s History Month reflecting on: • The women who shaped our understanding of love • The music that raised us (and had us in our feelings early) • Millennial memories - from burned CDs to late-night phone calls • The l...

In this episode of  Please, Do Tell , hosts  Ronnika Williams and Jeffrey Booker  continue their Women’s History Month conversations by reflecting on the women who shaped their lives; mothers, grandmothers, teachers, and community figures whose lessons didn’t always make sense… until now. From childhood memories and playground dynamics to adult realizations, this episode explores how women have al...

Episode 101 marks a new chapter for  Please, Do Tell . After reaching the 100-episode milestone, hosts Ronnika Williams and Jeffrey Booker return from a midwinter break with a reflective and humorous conversation about what happened during the time away. In the spirit of Women’s History Month, they also reflect on the women who shaped their lives, the expectations placed on girls growing up, and t...

Episode 100 of  Please, Do Tell  arrives during Black History Month — exactly 100 years after Black History Week was established by Carter G. Woodson in 1926. In this milestone episode, Ronnika Williams and Jeffrey Booker reflect on what it means to reach 100 conversations rooted in grief, culture, community, and truth-telling. As the 35th episode with Jeffrey as cohost, this conversation honors g...

This week on  Please, Do Tell , we’re holding space for all the layers February brings. We start with a Super Bowl recap (because somebody watched for the game and somebody watched for the snacks 👀), then head straight to the playground to revisit our elementary, middle school, and high school crush stories. Yes, we’re talking Valentine grams, folded notes that said “Do you like me? Yes / No / Ma...

In this episode of  Please, Do Tell , hosts  Ronnika Williams  and  Jeffrey Booker  continue the February conversation by centering Black history as a  living, breathing practice not just a month on the calendar. From personal reflections to cultural moments shaping the present, this episode explores how memory, grief, joy, legacy, and resistance show up in our everyday lives. As Black History Mon...

Black History Month isn’t just about the past — it’s about the stories we carry, tell, and pass down. In Episode 97 of Please, Do Tell, hosts Ronnika Williams and Jeffrey Booker kick off Black History Month by centering living history. From family stories and childhood memories to cultural moments that shaped who we are, this episode reminds us that we are the archive. These are the stories that d...

Two days after Jeffrey’s birthday and one last word before January clocks out. This episode is a mix of: • Birthday reflections (the real kind) • Lessons learned already in 2026 • What we’re carrying forward — and what we’re leaving in January • A little foolishness, because of course 😌 🎧 Tap in as we close the month with stories, laughs, and grown energy. Host: Ronnika W. & Jeffrey B Music:...

January birthdays hit different — especially when yours are a week apart. In this episode, Ronnika and Jeffrey talk about: • Entering a new year side-by-side • How current events land differently as we get older • Birthday memories that shaped how we show up now • Laughing through the foolishness of January birthday season Host: Ronnika W. & Jeffrey B Music: Wallflowers by Bad Snacks Connect w...

We’re officially  one week into 2026  (Well we did record this on the 8th) and listen… that alone deserves acknowledgment. No grand declarations. No fake motivation. Just real talk about:• easing into a new year• carrying what survived 2025• and showing up anyway — tired, hopeful, and honest This episode is a check-in for anyone moving slow, moving quietly, or just proud they made it through Week...