The Ukuvusa Podcast with Dr. Z 🎙

May 2025 (Greensboro, NC) -- There are a few people without whom I wouldn’t have made it through 2024. 😮‍💨 Literally. David Scruggs, my leadership coach over the past 1.5 years, is one of them. He spent his career coaching mostly corporate white guys pursuing the dream 💭 — money, power, respect. In our first conversation in 2022, he told me he’d reached out to me because he’d recently realized...

May 2025 (Greensboro, NC) -- I love sitting down with people who are into transformation. The ones who apologize when we're wrong, who want accountability from both men and women, who take our existence and contributions to the human condition seriously. We shatter all kinds of misconceptions in this conversation. Truth often does that.  Willz is all that and more. In this episode, we talk ab...

April 2025 (Greensboro, NC) -- Jim Kee is a community developer and politician who has been in the Greensboro mix for decades. As a former District 2 Councilman with the intent to run again this year, Jim graciously accepted my invitation to share his story on Ukuvusa, along with lessons he's picked up along the way.  For those with interest in Greensboro's political history, you don&apo...

April 2025 (Greensboro, NC) -- There's been a lot of talk about community development and its impact, especially now that Greensboro is in a municipal election year. I dove into community advocacy headfirst (in the "formal" sense, I guess - marching and whatnot) back in 2020 when many others did. Although I feel the pain of others deeply, I am always trying to figure out how to solv...

March 2025 (Greensboro, NC) -- For some of us, dance is more than just a hobby. It's medicine. In this episode, Dr. Z and fellow Zodwa Dance Co. member, Victoria Williams, share their stories of awakening from the dance floor. Victoria describes herself as an erotic artist, dancer, choreographer, and muse.  Many traditional dance environments are characterized by levels of critique that damag...

March 2025 (Greensboro, NC) -- In this episode, my younger sister @ayeza_indira and I cover A LOT: 📍Our DRAMATICALLY different lives 📍Lessons we've learned on the adventure 📍The impact of birth order 📍Spiritual gifts 📍Breaking generational patterns 📍Pre-church Hennessy (past, not present day 🤭) 📍Addiction recovery 📍Healing from within 📍Confronting our shame and more... This episode...

March 2025 (Greensboro, NC) -- Meet Alex Dummit, an entrepreneurial force who'll never leave you guessing what she thinks. Brutal honesty and relentless compassion are her superpowers. She's using both to drive sustainable change through her business, The Sage Plant .  When Alex first told me about The Sage Plant, it sounded too good to be true. They have access to cutting edge 3D printi...

July 2022 (Los Angeles, CA) -- Meet Quentin Fears, Los Angeles-based celebrity 😎 and personal stylist. TV shows, magazine covers, video shoots… he’s rubbing elbows with celebs on a regular basis and offers tips for navigating the space with professionalism and kindness. ❤️ We went to Aycock Middle School together (now Swann) so it’s been dope to see his creativity and ambition carry him all the w...

June 2022 (Greensboro, NC) -- Kelly McKinnon had been happily married to her husband of nearly 19 years when, earlier this year, he shared some news that literally took her breath away. What do you do when the partner you thought you knew tells you something that will change both of your lives forever?  In this episode, Kelly opens up about her journey of involuntary awakening over the past severa...

June 2022 (Greensboro, NC) -- The last time Ray McKinnon was a guest on Ukuvusa in October 2020, he was joined by his wife, Kelly, for the episode called "Awakening to Our Emotions." Earlier this year, after nearly 19 years of marriage and raising 4 children together, Ray shared some news with Kelly that would forever change the nature and course of their relationship.  Navigating sexual...

February 2021 (Greensboro, NC) -- Many of the women I know are both entrepreneurial 💥 and humanitarian. 🥰 How can we do it in an imbalanced world while maintaining integrity throughout? Episode #21 of Ukuvusa 👁 features Kathryn Hubert (@kehubert) of downtown Greensboro's Chez Genèse ( @chezgenese ) who shares invaluable lessons about how to be an ethical and authentic millennial entrepreneu...

March 2021 (Greensboro) -- Episode #22 aired on Tuesday 3/2 at 7pmEST!! 🎙 Have you been feeling the need to awaken to new ways of being? Are you truly at peace? 💫 Do you regularly experience joy? 🤗 This episode features our resident therapist Dr. Niah White ( @fiercely_free of @spirit_counseling ), UNCG history doctoral student Felton Foushee ( @fousheecreative ), and @elonuniversity student and...

March 2021 (Greensboro, NC) -- What if your awakening 👁 is intended to take you all over the world? 🌍 It was International Women’s Day 🌺, and Ukuvusa was pleased to welcome one of Greensboro’s favorite international leaders, @francajlove of Jalloh’s Upright Services!! Franca’s journey is amazing, and the work that she has done for the immigrant and refugee population is undeniable. In this episo...

March 2021 (Greensboro, NC) -- We hear about toxic masculinity all the time... BUT what do toxic feminine traits look like? 👀 In this episode of Ukuvusa, 3 lovely ladies joined me for an honest discussion about what it means to take the journey of healing as a Black woman in the 21st century. I’m joined by my high school classmate and fellow @onyxurbanradio podcaster @thedopehearted , my 21-year-...

April 2021 (Greensboro, NC) -- This episode of Ukuvusa 🎙features business owner Camilia Majette of @nailahs_shea !! Natural soaps, delicious 🌺 smelling shea butters... Camilia’s brand is a reflection of her story. Beauty is natural. 💛 Listeners tuned in to @onyxurbanradio at 7pmEST on April 6 to hear more about Camilia’s incredible journey of faith and entrepreneurship!! www.onyxurbanradio.net O...

April 2021 (Greensboro, NC) -- We brought some single Black men into the Ukuvusa conversation🎙to shed some light 💡 on what dating is like from their point of view. Between Derrick Jaxn, Kevin Samuels and Umar Johnson, are ALL the messages janky?! 🥴 The rules have CHANGED, folx... we need to recalibrate!! 😅 Tune in for an honest and hilarious convo with my high school classmates — and regular in...

April 2021 (Greensboro, NC) -- Our Ukuvusa intern, Deztinee Allen, took the interviewer seat this time and asked Dr. Z some questions about her own awakening. The journey continues... 

May 2021 (Greensboro, NC) -- One thing the year is teaching me is the importance of truly and deeply hearing people out, asking questions, and appreciating those who aren’t afraid to share their truths. Curt Meinhold of @fluxcreativestudio began as an associate, evolved into a part of my podcast process as the sound engineer, and is now a friend. WOW 🤯 his story is wild. www.onyxurbanradio.net If...

August 2021 (Greensboro, NC) -- #Ukuvusa is back after a summer hiatus!! Our next guest, @itskimberlyrenee of @might.be.vegan , brought the freedom 🦅 and the flavor 🌶!! She is an entrepreneur and a food and social justice advocate. Her awakening 👁 has included realizations about the lifestyle and work style that best suit her unique tastes. 😏 Our conversation covered food 😋, divinity ✨, and so...

September 2021 (Greensboro, NC) -- This is easily one of my favorite Ukuvusa conversations to date!! @freedopemajor joined for the 2nd time and @ainsworth_chuck brought a powerful new perspective to the topic of awakening. 👁 This one is about leadership. What is the pilgrimage of a leader? How do we know what risks are worth taking? How do we connect with people who are different from ourselves? C...

September 2021 (Greensboro, NC) -- It’s taken me a long time to figure out that my rhythm and capacity are just… different. 🥴 That’s why I was so eager to invite my next guests to Episode #31 of #ukuvusa — @likesha_morgan_tillman of @alwaysalady.me and @mrsstephaniedrakecarlisle of @officialconquerqueen !!! These women have been such inspirations to me over the last few years as I’ve been making...

December 2020 (Greensboro, NC) -- Religion acts as many people’s guiding force in life and the same is true for our guests! Today we had Bridget Hall who is working towards becoming a minister for the United Methodist Church, Dr. Dana Lyles who is the Director for Multiethnic Ministries, and Ladale Benson who is an ordained minister at the United Church of Christ who focuses on liberation ideology...

December 2020 (Greensboro, NC) -- What does it mean to be confident? What propels you to believe in yourself and take that next step? According to leadership coach, Dr. Ayeesha Hankins, confidence, motivation, and goal achievement are all related to your identity. In this episode we learn exactly how our identity and experiences shape whether we doubt ourselves or believe in ourselves. Tune in to...

January 2021 (Greensboro, NC) -- Mental health is becoming the new buzzword, and for good reason! On this episode of Ukuvusa, I spoke with our resident Mental Health Expert, Dr. Niah White who is a licensed clinical social worker who has her own practice called Spirit Counseling and Consulting PLLC. In this episode, we focus on the topic of healing. Dr. White explains the importance of mental heal...

January 2021 (Greensboro, NC) -- Grief and death are subjects that make many people uncomfortable. Alisha Wielfaert and I have taken our conversations doubly deep from the beginning, and our coaching work continues to call us into the emotional depths of the human experience. Alisha experienced a lot of loss in 2019 that led her to using yoga as a way to reconnect to her body, a concept that’s imp...