Real Reading Talk

Freedom Requires Options: A Conversation with Sis Ayisha on Life Beyond America What does it look like to imagine a different future for yourself and your family? In this powerful episode of The Reading Is Freedom Podcast , I sit down with Sis Ayisha to discuss her inspiring journey from America to Ghana and the faith, courage, and vision that helped her make that life-changing decision. Sis Ayish...

🎙️📚 NEW EPISODE ALERT: The Reading Is Freedom Podcast 📚 What if the biggest thing standing between you and success isn't your ability—it's your mindset? In my latest episode, we're talking about the difference between a growth mindset and a lack or fixed mindset . Too many children—and adults—have convinced themselves that they're "just not readers," "not smart eno...

Summer is a time for fun, relaxation, and family memories—but it can also be a time when children lose some of the reading skills they worked so hard to build during the school year. In this episode of The Reading Is Freedom Podcast, I explain what the "summer slide" is, why it happens, and how it can impact your child's reading growth. One of the easiest and most effective ways to c...

What happens when faith, literacy, racial trauma, and liberation all collide in one powerful conversation? I recently sat down with New York native Dr. Yusuf Malik Frederick, author of the groundbreaking book I Love Islam but I'm Tired of Muslims: How Spiritual Abuse and Racial Trauma Intersect to Cause Psychological Distress Among African American Muslims. This wasn’t just an interview. This...

In this powerful episode of the Reading Is Freedom Podcast, I sit down with Bronzeville native and author Abdullah Rasheed Muhammad to discuss his new release,  Hood Coma . This conversation goes far beyond the pages of a book — it dives deep into the realities many Black communities face, including poverty, alcoholism, drugs, and the absence of fathers in the home. But this episode is also about...

There are books you read… and then there are books that  change you . In this powerful episode, I’m breaking down five books that didn’t just inform me—they transformed how I see myself, my history, and what freedom truly means. From The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley, to Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Joy DeGruy, to Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederic...

Creating generational wealth and learning about financial literacy has been one of the most talked about conversations in the Black community over the last 20+ years. We have become more conscious about breaking free from the financial generational trauma that was created by design ever since the inception of this country. This is what esteemed author Kerwyn Phillip is doing with both of his books...

In this episode I'm addressing the recent article done in The Harvard Gazette that talks about the driving decline in U.S. literacy rates. Of course they mention things like the rise of electronic devices, children not being taught phonics anymore or not seeing adults around them reading. However, I take it a step further by going into the root cause of this decline that really has hit Black,...

You tired of not trusting your gut? Do you second guess yourself a lot? Are you constantly having to ask other people what to do before you make decisions? Well in this episode I break down where that lack of trust in yourself and the ability to make sound decisions come from. This is one of the core reasons as to why I wrote my chapter Escaping the Fear Trap House of our book H.E.R. Healed Empowe...

There was an article written in the Black Wallstreet Times that talked about how reading for pleasure has gone down about 40% for Americans within the last 20 years. For Black people that number looks even more dismal. Well if you've guessed the main reason are the internet, social media and electronic devices you are absolutely on point. In this episode I'm talking about how pleasure read...

Picture books are typically associated with young children. We assume because they are filled with illustrations that you must be 8 years old or younger to read them. That is quite the contrary. These books teach us how to have empathy, to have a higher level thinking and they usually have a wide vocabulary. This is why people of all ages can enjoy a picture book. In this episode I talk about how...

"When you don't understand racism/white supremacy what it is and how it works then everything you think you understand will only confuse you."- Neely Fuller, Jr. This is the quote that I think about constantly when it comes to the deficit, disparities and lack that Black people have been dealing with ever since the inception of this settler colonial project we call America. We can&#3...

In this episode I'm addressing the article that The Grio wrote entitled, Trump Abolishing Education Department spells doom for Black America. I'm reminding us of how we should not be surprised or scared not one iota of what the president elect and his cabinet plan to put in place and take away because their actions are aligned with the white supremacist values that America holds so near and dear t...

In this episode the esteemed educator Ebony Donley and I are discussing what cause and effect is and how this is one of the foundational components that is needed to have strong reading skills. We also show you our creative and artistic way to teach show what cause and effect is for your child or students. As always grab your pen and paper for the gems and jewels that are being dropped in this epi...

Yup you read that read that right. Alot of students from elite colleges like Stanford and Columbia are struggling to read the books that have been assigned to them in their classes because they did not develop the skills that are needed to read a book in its entirety. In this episode I'm talking about the article that I read in The Atlantic that is bringing awareness to the fact that a lot of thes...

One of the most talked about movies of this year so far is Inside Out 2. This movie in my opinion gave a good description of what emotional intelligence looks like. It was very relatable and on time especially during these very challenging times where we're seeing an uptick in mental health issues. In this episode I'm talking about how I learned three important things from watching this mo...

You betta read the book and don't mess up on no words or I'm gonna give you a whuppin! What's your problem why can't you figure out that math problem?! How many times have we went off on our children because, they didn't get their homework done right? How many times have we threatened them for not completing their homework? What happened to us leading with love, grace and mercy...

In this episode I'm on my solo box talking about the beauty and power of being silent. This topic came about because of a question that a teenager blurted out in a quiet classroom which was "why is it so quiet?" I remember I wanted to address this issue because I wrote it down in my notebook the day it happened which was April 17, 2024. This notion of having to have noise, distractio...

How many of you grew up being told to do this or that by your parents/caregivers but alot of times wasn't shown how to do it? It was almost like you were expected to know and when you didn't get it right you got in trouble for it. Unfortunately when we take that approach as adults it actually is handicapping our children and leading down the path of becoming insecure, not feeling valued or...

In this episode I had the absolute pleasure talking to the phenomenal author and founder of Mended Relationships Mrs. Tierra Banks. Our conversations was filled with memories of how her mother didn't play when it came to her children's education. She remembers the times that she had to go look up information in those encyclopedias instead of relying on her mother to give her the answers. W...

In this episode I had the ultimate pleasure of talking with this dope sista who truly cares about our children. She's a behavior specialist, spiritual God-mother, child advocate and author Miss. Ashley B. She is truly in the business of helping our children navigate through struggles that may have due to their unfortunate trials and traumatic experiences. She just like all of us have experienc...

I hate math! We ain't going to use this math anyway, so why do we have to learn it?! How many times have we heard these negative statements and more about the dreaded and most needed subject, math. Well Mr. Akil Parker the veteran High school math teacher, author and creator of All This Math is here on the show to eradicate that bad talk that we have around math. He is dropping the jewels and...

Been around the world ya ya yaaa! That's the first thing that comes to mind when I think about the conversation I had with brotha Taye Uhuru. It was such an engaging discussion he and I had in which one of the things he casually said is that he's been to 70+ countries! Of course his travels did not start as an adult it all started with his foundation of being raised by his parents in the i...

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure with talking to North Carolina native Kaleema Overton Ameen on her journey to becoming an author of a book that deals with one of the most controversial topics of our time narcissism. Of course she starts us off with her strong family roots and what led her into becoming a Federal Policy Analyst. Then she gives us ways we can help our young people decid...

In this episode of Real Reading Talk I'm talking to the multifaceted, art gallery owner, author and Detroit native Khalil Muhammad. Bro Khalil starts us off with his humble beginnings replete with stories about his close knit big family that was filled with love, trials and lots of literacy. He walks us through his journey on how became an author of the book Meditate to Elevate. He dives into...