What Shapes Us

Join us for an inspiring episode of the What Shapes Us podcast as we sit down with Nora Vasconcellos, the trailblazing American professional skateboarder hailing from Pembroke, Massachusetts. In this in-depth interview, we peel back the layers of Nora's incredible journey, exploring the highs, the challenges, and the sheer determination that has propelled her to become one of the most influent...

On this episode of What Shapes Us Selema welcomes Brick Howze. Brick is a 26-year-old musician, producer, and founder of Black Sand, a surf and arts collective in LA. In this deep dive interview Brick tells his story about what shaped him into creative power Howze he has become.

Selema brings a conversation he had at the Redbull At Work Tent-pole event. He talked to three athletes - Dassy Lee, Kate Cortney, Justin William- about their breaking norms in their surrounding and culture, finding their passion and discovering they can do it as a career, and how to build routine for your mental state.

Motivation was stifled during the pandemic and artists where ether going into a creative hyphenation or found ways to recenter them self and reevaluate their creativity. Our guests, Louis the Child and PineappleCITI, talk through how they took on quarantine and what challenges they faced musically with it. How they stayed motivated and even rediscovered it. 

What makes you a Kook? Jon Rose takes us on a global adventure of how he fell into global relief effort and created Waves for Water. Selema also brings his past and why Jon chose adventrue as escape, enjoying your aging and the wisdom it brings, and finding your passion. 

Selema is opening up his Covid Files to show you an interview he did with legendary photographer Atiba Jefferson. Selema goes into their history of when they first met at Atiba’s skate shop. Atiba moving out to California to follow his dream of being a photographer for skaters. And advice for those coming out of Covid what they can do to get out of the slump that we all slipped into.  Check o...

On this episode of the What Shapes Us Podcast Selema welcomes writer, actor, producer, director and close friend Radha Blank. Radha talks about how the pandemic gave her a new perspective on life. They talk about her movie "The Forty-Year-Old Version" and both Selema and Radha share family memories that shaped them into the creatives they are today. 

The loop Daddy himself Marc Rebillet joins Selema to talk about how he became an incredible force that took the internet by storm. They talk about what shaped his musical style, how Marc found what was important in his life during the lockdown, and how he got the queen herself Erykah Badu to do a livestream performance. All this and so much more on this episode of the What Shapes Us podcast....

This week Selema Talks to Joy Bryant After a 6 month hiatus, What Shapes Us returns! In this episode, Selema gets candid about why the podcast took such a long layoff and how the net effect of Covid, American race relations and the election took a definitive toll on his mental health. This week features a conversation between Selema and one of his dearest friends, the incredible actress and p...

In this episode Selema reflects on the high stakes, polarizing dance that is the social media landscape  whilst musing on the stamina necessary to last in the podcast game. Selema proudly welcomes chef Matty Matheson for a raw and open conversation about pivoting, race, family, honesty and the importance of remaining true to who you are over everything else.

The ocean has a deep meaning to me and in this episode I get into why surfing and the ocean is so imbedded in who I am as a human being. That is why on this episode I’m beyond ecstatic about our guest, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. She is a marine biologist, policy expert, writer, and Brooklyn native. She is founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv, Urban Ocean Lab, and co-created the Blue New Deal. She...

Welcome to the What Shapes Us Podcast. Here is a taste of whats to come this season. Subscribe now where ever you get your podcast.