The Curiosity Podcast: What's Up with...?

Dr. Marion Orr joins me to discuss the most consequential congressman that you have NEVER heard of -- Charles C. Diggs, Jr. Dr. Orr defends his claim that Charles C. Diggs is more consequential than John Lewis, Shirley Chisholm, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and many other Black congresspeople that are effortlessly discussed within the Black-American public trailblazing community. We anchor the convers...

Filmmaker Chase Parker joins me to chat about creative resilience. Right now, in this 2025, the job market for creatives is historically competitive. There are people in the market who didn't imagine being unemployed, underemployed or functionally unemployed (what is that, right?) Chase has made it as a creative, not in tv & film, music or fashion but in -- healthcare! We chat about what i...

To unpack science, I invited Wilbren Gwin on this episode. He’s a S.T.E.M teacher for Van Siclen Community Middle School in Brooklyn, New York. Despite being famous for giving lunch detentions, Gwin is beloved by students. He’s been teaching for 13 years, graduated from Central State University and is a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. We talked about the definition of science; how he ev...

This episode features Tayo Ola. He is a popular chef, whose work has been featured in Forbes, Black Enterprise and Good Morning America. Currently, he hosts and curates a supper club called Ebi-Ayo Supper Club here in New York. It originated in Los Angeles, but Tayo decided to bring it on over to the East Coast, and man, it has been a big success! What makes his supper club unique is that he is ma...

This episode features Mallory with the Flowers. She’s a florist and owns an experiential floral studio in Los Angeles that she says is “inspired by people, to inspire people.” She has appeared on an episode of the HBO series “Insecure”; has had multiple interviews with outlets like the LA Times and Good Day LA; and creates arrangements for brand activations and corporate events. She’s truly made a...

This episode features Dr. Marlene Daut. She is the author of “The First and Last King of Haiti." It is the essential biography of the controversial rebel, traitor, and only king of Haiti, Henri Christophe. She is also the Professor of French and African Diaspora Studies at Yale University. We talked about Henri Christophe, his trajectory from formerly enslaved to King; what he contributed to...

In today’s episode, I explore my curiosity with living abroad in South Africa. I chatted with Kori Hale, the CEO and Founder of Culturebanx, an online magazine that covers the intersection of business, technology and innovation for people of color. In 2024, she moved to South Africa for just a month. But in that short time, she learned about something called: load shedding, which are widespread an...

Welcome to The Curiosity Podcast. In today’s episode, I explore my curiosity with voice acting. Today’s guest is actor Gary L. Gray. You may know him best as the adorable Nelson Tibideaux on “The Cosby Show.” But! He’s ventured into voice acting. And over the years, he’s been very successful at it. Fallout 4 as Teddy Wright. The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron as A.J. Creed: Rise to Glory as himself....

Welcome to The Curiosity Podcast. In today’s episode, I explore my curiosity with preserving the family legacy. Today’s guest is Patricia Smith Griffin. Ms. Patricia preserves the inspiring heritage of early Ohio settlers, John Isaac Davis and his daughter, Charity Davis Caesar Broady through organizations called Charity’s Children Project, Inc. and The Legacy of Charity’s Children, LLC (TLCC). We...

In today’s episode, I explore my curiosity with Miles Morales. My guest is David Betancourt. He is the former comic book culture writer for "The Washington Post." He has helped shape Miles Morales’ character in books like “Spider-man: Stories from the Spiderverse,” which is his latest, and he also has a personal relationship with the character. Like Miles, David is also Puerto Rican and Black Amer...

In today’s episode, I explore my curiosity with books. My guest is Traci Thomas. She is the creator and host of the critically acclaimed literary podcast, “The Stacks.” She is a passionate champion of books, a monthly contributor on NPR’s Here & Now, and a columnist for shereads.com. We talked about the definition of books; how audiobooks are a more accessible way to read; why book covers are...

In this episode, I explore my curiosity with journalism. To unpack journalism, I asked Marquise Francis to join me. He is a young and super smart journalist who hails from the prestigious Syracuse University; worked for Yahoo! News and currently, is a correspondent for NBC News. We talked about the definition of journalism; why truth matters in journalism; who gets to approve the stories that we a...

In today’s episode, I explore my curiosity with my favorite topic in the world - Jesus! To unpack my continuing curiosity with Him, I’m joined by Pastor Tyler Burns and Dr. Jemar Tisby. They’re the hosts of the podcast "Pass the Mic," and every week, they address the core concerns of Black Christians. Most of this conversation was with Tyler, so we talked about who Jesus is; what do we owe Jesus?;...

Welcome to The Curiosity Podcast. In today’s episode, I explore my curiosity with medicine. To unpack my curiosity with medicine, I’m joined by Dr. Amy Gueye, an OBGYN who studied at Johns Hopkins University. What makes her the perfect person to chat with is that, in addition to her extensive medical training, Dr. Gueye has pursued further education in herbal and functional medicine. She understan...

In this episode, I explore my curiosity with poetry. To unpack my curiosity with poetry, I’m joined by Lynne Thompson, former Poet Laureate for the City of Los Angeles and author of several collections, including the most recent one - "Blue on a Blue Palette." We talked about what poetry is and is not; how poetry is needed in all seasons of life; and how one of her spiciest poems “Among Peaches” i...

In this episode, Jennifer explores her curiosity with astrology. She is joined by Dayna Nuckolls, an astrologer, who professionally goes by the name “The People’s Oracle.” We explored the definition of astrology; got transparent about our Apostolic upbringing; got bold about what Beyoncé actually promotes, according to the stars; and I got to guess what sign she was off sheer zodiac pattern recogn...

In this episode, Jennifer explores her curiosity with affirmative action . She is joined by Dr. Donna J. Nichol, author of “Black Woman on Board: Claudia Hampton, The California State University, and The Fight to Save Affirmative Action." We talked about the Supreme Court’s outlaw of race-conscious affirmative action in college admissions; How Asian-American students are being used as opponen...

In this episode, Jennifer is joined by Willis Cooks, a skydiving enthusiast, who has been featured in NBC News, Black Enterprise, and The Houston Chronicle. We talked about how losing a bet forced him to skydive; how 700 - 800 skydives isn’t really a lot; and how Fresh Heir Boogie, an Instagram chat for skydivers of color, is inspiring more enthusiasts and professionals. Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:35...

In this episode, Jennifer explores her curiosity with being the first. That can mean being First generation American. Being The firstborn. Or The first to make six figures in your family. Jennifer is joined by Regine Dorismond, a New York State licensed Social Worker and co-founder of BeMorr, a New York City based wellness community. We talked about how to help first generation women of color brea...

In this episode, Jennifer invites Dr. Treshonda Baucom, licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida, to unpack her curiosity with emotions. Dr. Treshonda has been featured in Medium magazine, Authority Magazine, has made many appearances on WESH in Daytona Beach, and has her own practice called Enriched Life Counseling & Consulting LLC. We talked about the definition of emotions....

Jennifer explores her curiosity with living abroad, an experience she's bound to have some day. She asked Mac Kendema, Video Game Producer and Writer, to join this episode because he’s doing just that! Living abroad! Originally from Minnesota, Mac packed up his things and moved to Asia! I’m gonna be mum about what country at the moment because I want you to guess, but for him, it’s been quite...

Who better to unpack Jennifer's curiosity with singing than two singers? Kiarri Andrews, a musical theater singer who has acted in Rent, Ragtime, Naked Boys Singing and a recent revival of Porgy & Bess; and Ashia Vu, an R&B/soul recording artist, who is also a part of the group Love is the Answer... offer their definitions of singing; they reveal WHY they sing; and we even get into som...

Jennifer explores her curiosity with ghosts, and she does so with Anastasia Washington, a real life ghostbuster (my nickname for her). Washington is a paranormal investigator, host of the paranormal podcast "Haunts and Hops," and a person who has had multiple paranormal experiences. Let's get transparent in this episode: "What's Up with...Ghosts?" Host and Executive Pro...

Jennifer explores her curiosity with death. It's an experience we're all going to have (unless you're one of the 144,000). To unpack death, she is joined by Joél Simone Maldonado aka The Grave Woman. She is a licensed funeral director, embalmer, award winning death care educator, sacred grief practitioner, and proud founder of The Black Death, Grief, and Cultural Care Academy. Let'...

Jennifer explores her curiosity with comedy. She chats with Jazmyn W, a successful young comedian, who offers her perspective on what comedy is; how her mom and dad inspire her comedy; what makes something funny; and why Seinfeld is not funny, among other things, in this episode: What's Up with...Comedy? Host and Executive Producer: Jennifer Brown Editor: Chase Parker Producer: Latrice Lauve S...