Podcasts about aunt vi

Today, Michael welcomes back Tina Lifford. Tina is a Hollywood veteran who has played over 100 characters in her long-standing career, most notably the vivacious Aunt Vi on the critically acclaimed television drama Queen Sugar. Outside of acting, Tina is a visionary thought leader, author, speaker, and the strategist and architect behind The Inner Fitness Project, bringing her deep wisdom, personal experience, and respect for the human condition that supports internal transformation, healing, and resilience-building. She teaches the idea that nurturing the internal Self is how we can live life well and thrive. Her book, The Little Book of BIG LIES, was chosen by Forbes.com as a must-read in 2021. Her new book, The Inner Fitness Revolution: A Roadmap to Your Freedom and Joy, was just released by HarperCollins yesterday and is out now. Highlights from Michael and Tina's insightful conversation include: -Tina's powerful story about a traumatic fifth-grade experience that later impacted her acting career  -What Inner Fitness is and why it's critical to give as much attention to our inner Self as we give to our physical bodies -The distinction between ‘wellness' and ‘well-being' -Why it's important to normalize adversity -What Inner Fitness offers compared to therapy -The Inner Fitness principles and practices that had the most profound impact on Tina's life -How focusing on the truth creates a healing environment; why Inner Fitness isn't necessarily about feeling better but about being better from the inside out; the one transformative lesson you can take away from The Inner Fitness Revolution; and so much more! Finally, Michael leads a guided meditation focused on empowering questions to open up the dynamic wisdom within us.  Catch up with Tina at her website, https://theinnerfitnessproject.com/, and on social media.  Remember to Subscribe or Follow and set an alert to receive notifications each Wednesday when new episodes are available! Connect with Michael at his website – https://michaelbeckwith.com/ – and receive his guided meditation, “Raise Your Vibration and Be Untouchable” when you sign up to receive occasional updates from Michael! You can also connect with him at https://agapelive.com/. Facebook: @Michael.B.Beckwith https://www.facebook.com/Michael.B.Beckwith  IG: @michaelbbeckwith https://www.instagram.com/michaelbbeckwith/  TikTok: @officialmichaelbeckwith   https://www.tiktok.com/@officialmichaelbeckwith  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqMWuqEKXLY4m60gNDsw61w  And as always, deep gratitude to the sponsors of the Take Back Your Mind with Michael B. Beckwith podcast: -Agape International Spiritual Center: https://agapelive.com/ and -NutriRise, the makers of Michael's AdaptoZen products: -Superfood Greens: https://nutririse.com/products/greens-superfood?_pos=1&_sid=2057ecc52&_ss=r  -Superfood Reds: https://nutririse.com/products/adaptozen-superfood-reds    -ELEVATE+: Organic Fermented Mushrooms: https://nutririse.com/products/elevate-fermented-mushrooms-powder  

Hollywood veteran Tina Lifford has played over 100 characters in her long-standing career, including most notably, the vivacious Aunt Vi on the critically acclaimed television drama Queen Sugar. Outside of acting, Tina is the author of “The Little Book of BIG LIES,” chosen by Forbes.com as a “must-read to make 2021 your best year yet.”  She is also the visionary thought leader and strategist behind the Inner Fitness Project which is designed to engage people in the process of internal transformation, healing, and resilience building. In this episode, Michael and Tina discuss: -How they met and their long-term friendship over the years -Tina's spiritual self-discovery and realization journey and what she learned about the Surviving Self, the Thriving Self, and the Infinite Self -How she managed caregiving for her mom while being mindful of herself -The dream that changed Tina's life and inspired The Inner Fitness Project offering the tools and practices to strengthen our mental, emotional, and spiritual core, and so much more!   Michael then guides us on a brief meditation on Inner Fitness.  Check out Tina's Inner Fitness Project at https://www.theinnerfitnessproject.com/, watch her “Tina Lifford Dream” YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/WYuxKMqr7QI?si=NZMEtyFswBySESz1, and follow her across social media! Remember to subscribe/follow and set an alert to receive notifications each Wednesday when new episodes are available! If you are inspired by the Take Back Your Mind podcast, please share it with your friends and family, and give us a 5-star rating! Connect with Michael at his newly-redesigned website – https://michaelbeckwith.com/ – and receive his guided meditation, “Raise Your Vibration and Be Untouchable” when you sign up to receive occasional updates from Michael!  You can also connect with him at www.Agapelive.com. Facebook: @Michael.B.Beckwith https://www.facebook.com/Michael.B.Beckwith IG: @michaelbbeckwith https://www.instagram.com/michaelbbeckwith/ X:  @drmichaelbb https://twitter.com/drmichaelbb YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqMWuqEKXLY4m60gNDsw61w Finally, a special thank you to the sponsors of the Take Back Your Mind with Michael B. Beckwith podcast: The Agape International Spiritual Center (www.Agapelive.com) and NutriRise, makers of Michael's AdaptoZen Superfood Greens Powder and Vitamin D3+K2 drops (https://nutririse.com/products/adaptozen-bundle)! 

Watchers        Zany lies amid clutter on the floor beneath the dining room windows hugging her bandaged arm. She huffs loudly enough to reach the front porch where Mom and Aunt Vi imbibe scotch. Vi still isn't used to afternoon drinking. They can't hear Zany over the Krebbs' crying baby on the other side of the duplex wall. Stupid baby. Plus Zany's little sister overhead dancing to the transistor radio, rattling the light fixture dangling from the ceiling.        The fingertips on Zany's bandaged arm are cold and maybe even blue. This is slightly alarming. She considers running to Mom but knows better. Take the damn thing off then, Mom will say.        There's nothing wrong with Zany's arm, but that isn't the point. At breakfast, without preamble, she wound an Ace bandage from her palm to her armpit. The family no longer asks what she's up to. Last week during Ed Sullivan she sat at her TV tray dripping candle wax over her fist. Aunt Vi blinked with every splat, but Mom only said: “If you get that on my rug I'll take you across my knee. I don't care how old you are.” Zany is thirteen.        Week before, Zany taped a string of two-inch penny nails around her throat at the kitchen table where Dad rewired one of Mom's salvaged lamps. “Why don't you do that in your room?”  Dad didn't like sharing his workspace. Zany shrugged and the nail tips jabbed her collarbones.  She could have done it in her room, but doing the thing wasn't the point. It was having someone watch that mattered. If no one watched, who would believe she could endure that much discomfort?        Nobody is watching now, so Zany grips a dining table leg and pulls it toward her, or tries to. It's hard to budge through Mom's junk piles, plus the weight of the extra leaf Dad inserted when Aunt Vi and Cousin Lester moved in after their apartment collapsed. Aunt Vi brought cans of flowery air freshener to hide the hoard smell—rotten food and cat piss. They don't own a cat.  Lester, sixteen, bought a box of rubble-rescued books.        “You better be setting the table!” Mom calls through the screen.        Zany hates Mom's manly haircut and has said so. “It's Gig's turn!”        Overhead, Gig stomps the floor in the bedroom they now share. Aunt Vi got Zany's attic where Mom's hoard had been disallowed, but it's begun trickling up. “No, it's not!” Gig's transistor blares louder.        “Zany!” Mom calls. “I swear to God! And close those drapes!”        Mom can't stand looking at the neighbor's wall she could reach across and touch, but Zany craves fresh air, as fresh as Pittsburgh air can be. Plus, she likes counting the yellow bricks Andy Warhol surely counted when this was his childhood home, the dining room his make-shift sickroom when he suffered St. Vitus Dance. Zany is certain his bed would have been right here by the window where he could see a hint of sky if he cricked his neck just right. She lies in his echo and imagines the day she'll appear at his Factory door in New York City and say: “I used to live in your house.” Andy will enfold her in his translucent arms before ushering her inside, not to act in his films or screen print his designs, but to be his equal. Partner, even. Zany just has to determine her own art form. It sure won't be cutting fruit cans into flowers like Warhol's mother did for chump change.        Zany's legs start the herky-jerky Vitus dance as if she's running toward that Factory dream. Her pelvis and hips quake. The one free arm. The back of her head jitters against the floor. It's a familiar thrum even Aunt Vi and Lester are accustomed to now. Mom yells: “Stop that racket!” She mutters to Vi: “We never should have bought this place.”       A kitchen timer dings and Aunt Vi comes in to disarm it. Her cooking is better than Mom's, and Vi wears an apron and dime store lipstick while she does it. Fresh peas instead of canned. Real mashed potatoes instead of instant. Vi is a better housekeeper, too, organizing Mom's trash into four-foot piles that line the walls. Every day Mom trolls back alleys and neighbors' garbage in dingy clothes that make her look like a hobo. That's what the kids say:  Your mom looks like a hobo. She pulls a rickety cart and loads it with moldy linens, rolled-up rugs, dented wastebaskets. Zany wonders if Dad regrets marrying the wrong sister. She knows he regrets not having a son, a boy who could have been Lester if Dad had a different heart. Instead, Dad got Lester on at the blast furnace, because “No one sleeps under my roof for free.” Who needs a high school diploma?        In the kitchen, Aunt Vi lets out one of her sobs. She only does that in private after Mom's third scolding: “He's dead, Vi. Crying won't bring him back.”        Zany misses Uncle Mo, too. His pocketful of peppermints. The trick coin he always plucked from Zany's ear. The last time Zany's family visited, she walked through their decrepit Franklin Arms apartment with its spongy floors and clanking pipes, but no maze of debris to negotiate. No cat piss smell or sister blaring the radio. She found Lester in his room at a child's desk he'd outgrown, doughy boy that he then was, doing homework without being nagged.  Astounding. His room was spartan, plenty of space for a second bed if Zany asked Aunt Vi sweetly enough. But no. Zany couldn't abandon Andy in his Dawson Street sickbed. Lester's only wall decoration was a world map strung with red yarn radiating from Pittsburgh to France, China, the South Pole. She wanted to ask why those destinations, but didn't, entranced as she was by all that fresh-aired openness, plus his feverishly scribbling hand.       Now, Aunt Vi leans in the dining room dabbing her face with a dishtowel. She's aged a decade since moving here and it isn't all due to grief. She targets Zany on the floor. “Everything all right in here?”        Zany has stopped breathing. Her eyes are glazed and her tongue lolls from her mouth.  She's getting better at playing dead.        “All right then.” Aunt Vi is getting better at not reacting. The screen door slams behind her.        Zany pulls in her tongue and inhales. She starts counting bricks again until Aunt Vi calls: “There they are!” as she does every workday.        Zany pictures Dad and Lester padding up Dawson. Wet hair slicked back because they shower off the stench before coming home. Zany appreciates that. Their boots scrape the steps to the porch where Aunt Vi will take their lunchpails. And there she is coming through the door and dashing to rinse their thermoses at the kitchen sink. Mom will stay put and pour Dad a finger of scotch.        Lester bangs inside and pauses in the dining room entryway. He's leaner now on account of the physical labor. Taller too. He eyes Zany's bandaged arm, not with Aunt Vi's alarm, but with the kind of baffled wonder Zany has always been after. Their eyes meet and it's the same look he gave her the day she walked backward all the way to the Eliza Number Two—not  because Dad and Lester worked there, but because it was lunchtime, and a gaggle of men would  be eating beneath that pin oak by the furnace entrance. And there they were, her father among them, not easy to see having to crane her neck as Zany picked her way over the railroad tracks.        “What the hell is she doing?” said Tom Folsom. Zany recognized her neighbor's voice.  “She's off her nut,” said another worker.       Zany twisted fully around to see if her father would defend her, but he was already hustling back to the furnace.        “Something's not right with that girl,” said Folsom.        “Nothing wrong with her,” said Lester from beneath a different tree where he ate his cheese sandwich alone.        Folsom spit in the grass. “Shut up, fairy boy.”        Lester wasn't a fairy boy, Zany knew.        Today, leaning in the dining room, Lester looks as if he can see inside Zany's skull to the conjured Factory room she and Andy will one day share: walls scrubbed clean and painted white.  Her drawings or paintings lining the walls in tidy rows. Maybe sculptures aligned on shelves. Or mobiles overhead spinning in the breeze. Lester nods at her fantasy as if it's a good one. He has his own escapism. Zany knows that too, and she looks away first so her eyes won't let him know that she knows.        Lester heads to the cellar where he spends most of his time. Mom partitioned off the back corner for him with clothesline and a bed sheet. Installed an army cot and gooseneck lamp on a crate. Andy Warhol holed up in the cellar when he was a kid developing film in a jerry-rigged darkroom. Zany constructed one from an oversized cardboard box she wedged into that shadowy space beneath the stairs. She cut a closable door in the box and regularly folds herself inside to catalogue her achievements in a notebook. Stood barefoot on a hot tar patch on Frazier Street for seventy-two seconds. Mr. Braddock called me a dolt, but I said: You're the dolt!        From below, the sound of Lester falling onto his cot followed by a sigh so deep Zany's lungs exhale, too. Whatever dreams he had got buried under apartment rubble along with Uncle Mo.       Outside, Dad has taken Aunt Vi's creaky rocker. “He's a strange one,” he says about Lester. “What's he up to down there?”        Mom says, “Who the hell knows?”        Zany clamps her unbandaged hand over her mouth to keep that knowledge from spilling.  She saw what he was up to the day she was tucked in her box and forgot time until footsteps pounded the stairs above her. She peeked through the peephole she'd punched into her cardboard door as Lester peeled off his shirt, his pants. He left on his boxers and socks. Didn't bother to draw his sheet curtain, just plopped on the cot and lit a cigarette. His smoking still surprised her. The boy he once was was also buried under rubble. Zany regretted not making her presence known, but then it was too late with Lester in his underwear, and all. Plus, she was captivated by his fingers pulling the cigarette to his lips. The little smoke rings he sent up to the floor joists. She wondered if he was dreaming of China or the South Pole, or just sitting quietly at his too-small desk back in his apartment inhaling all that fresh air. Finally, he snubbed out the cigarette in an empty tuna can. Zany hoped he would roll over for sleep, but he slid a much-abused magazine from beneath his pillow and turned pages. Even in the scant light Zany made out the naked lady on the cover. Zany's heart thudded, even more so when Lester's hand slipped beneath his waistband and started moving up and down, up and down. She told her eyes to close but they wouldn't, both entranced and nauseated by what she shouldn't be seeing. She knew what he was up to, having done her own exploring when she had her own room. She'd conjure Andy Warhol's face and mouth and delicate hands—because those rumors weren't true. They just weren't. Harder to explore in the bed she now shared with Gig. Stupid Aunt Vi, and stupid collapsed Franklin Arms.       What Lester was up to looked angry. Violent, even. A jittery burn galloped beneath Zany's skin and she bit her lip, drawing blood. But she couldn't look away from Lester's furious hand, his eyes ogling that magazine until they squeezed shut and his mouth pressed into a grimace that did not look like joy. The magazine collapsed onto his chest and his belly shuddered. Only then did Zany close her eyes as the burn leaked through her skin. When Lester's snores came, she tiptoed upstairs to collapse on Andy's echo. She caught Lester seven more times, if caught is the right word, lying in wait as she was, hoping to see, hoping not to.  “You better be setting the table!” Mom yells now from the porch.        Zany grunts and makes her way to the kitchen where Aunt Vi pulls a roast from the oven.  Zany heaves a stack of plates to the dining room and deals them out like playing cards.  “Don't break my dishes!” Mom calls. I hate your hair, Zany wants to say.  There is a crash, but it's not dishes. It comes from overhead where Gig screams.  Thumping on the stairs as she thunders down, transistor in hand. “Zany!”  Gig rushes into the dining room, ponytail swaying, eyes landing on her sister. “He's been shot!”        Zany's mind hurtles back two months to when Martin Luther King was killed. Riots erupted in Pittsburgh's Black neighborhoods: The Hill District and Homewood and Manchester.  “Who?” Zany says, conjuring possibilities: LBJ, Sidney Portier. But to Zany, it's much worse.        “Andy Warhol!”        Zany counts this as the meanest lie Gig's ever told. “He was not.”        “Yes, he was!” Gig turns up the radio and the announcer confirms it: a crazed woman shot Warhol in his Factory.       Aunt Vi comes at Zany with her arms wide, because she understands loss. “Oh, honey.”  Zany bats her hands away. “It's not true.”        Vi backs into Mom's hoard. “Is he dead?”        Gig says: “They don't know.”        Zany can't stomach the smug look on Gig's face, as if she holds Andy's life or death between her teeth. Zany wants to slap that look off, so she does.        Gig screams.        “What the hell's going on in there?” Mom calls.        “Zany hit me!” Gig says at the very moment Aunt Vi says: “Andy Warhol's been shot!”  “No he wasn't!” Zany says again, wanting to slap them both.        Mom and Dad hustle inside where Gig cups her reddening cheek and bawls louder.  “It's nothing,” Mom says at the sight of her sniveling daughter, but Dad enfolds Gig in his arms. “There, there.”        “Don't coddle that child,” says Mom, and for once Zany agrees.        “Now, Mae.” Dad cups the back of Gig's head and there's a different look on her face.  Triumph, maybe.        Pounding on the shared duplex wall, Evie Krebbs, who never could shush that wailing baby. “Andy Warhol's been shot!” she calls to them. “Did you all hear?”        “We heard,” Mom answers as the baby cries louder, and so does Gig, who won't be upstaged. Mom says: “That's the price of fame I guess.”        “Being shot?” says Aunt Vi.        “Put yourself in the public eye and anything's liable to happen. Lotta kooks in this world.”       The neighbor kids' chant sounds in Zany's head: Your mother's a hobo.        “I'd rather be shot than a hobo,” says Zany.        Mom's head snaps back. “What the hell's that supposed to mean?”        Zany doesn't fully know what she means, or maybe she does.        Dad says, “Turn up the radio and see if he's dead.”        Zany doesn't want to know the answer, and to keep him alive she runs to the basement where Andy will always be a sickly boy developing film. Never mind Lester in his bed sending smoke rings up to the floor joists. Never mind her family still jabbering overhead.       Zany dashes to her cardboard box and closes the door, her body shaking, but not from any disease. Andy can't be dead. He just can't, because if he is Zany will never make it to New York. Will never pound on his Factory door. She will never be famous enough for someone to shoot.        She doesn't know she's sobbing until Lester's voice drifts over. “Zany?”        It's hard to speak with that hand gripping her throat and her father overhead still babbling: “Turn it up, Gig.” All Zany eeks out is a sob.        Lester's skinny voice slips through that slit in her door. “Zany?”        The grip loosens and Zany puts her eye to the peephole.        There he is, Lester, on his narrow cot in the windowless cellar where he now lives. He slides his hand into his waistband and he tilts his head toward her. “Are you watching?”  Zany's breathing settles, and the overhead voices disappear taking with them the possibility of Andy's death. Her eyes widens so she can take it all in, the violent strokes, his contorting face, because she won't look away from Lester's pain, or hers.  Finally, she answers him: “Yes.” 

Well, this could be awkward: when we last featured a story on the podcast a year ago, it also focused on parasocial relationships and included masturbation! This time around, we are again in deft hands. Marie Manilla's short story “Watchers”, set in 1968 Pittsburgh with both the steel mills and Andy Warhol as vital elements, is replete with narrative and thematic echoes that satisfy and leave us wanting more at the same time. Tune in for this lively discussion which touches on budding creative and identity-based aspirations, celebrity, performance art, pain in public and private, and much more. Give it a listen -- you know you want to! (Remember you can read or listen to the full story first, as there are spoilers! Just scroll down the page for the episode on our website.)   (We also welcome editor Lisa Zerkle to the table for her first show!) At the table: Kathleen Volk Miller, Marion Wrenn, Lisa Zerkle, Jason Schneiderman, Dagne Forrest   Listen to the story Watchers in its entirety (separate from podcast reading)   Parasocial relationships https://mashable.com/article/parasocial-relationships-definition-meaning   Andy Warhol's childhood home in Pittsburgh (the setting of this story) http://www.warhola.com/warholahouse.html   “History” article about Andy Warhol's shooting by Valerie Solanas https://www.history.com/news/andy-warhol-shot-valerie-solanas-the-factory    I Shot Andy Warhol, 1996 film https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Shot_Andy_Warhol      ** Fun Fact 1: the original poster for the 1996 film hangs in Jason's apartment.   ** Fun Fact 2: the actor who portrayed Valerie Solanas in “I Shot Andy Warhol”, Lili Taylor, is married to three-time PBQ-published author Nick Flynn.   Nick Flynn's author page on PBQ http://pbqmag.org/tag/nick-flynn/   Dangerous Art: The Weapons of Performance Artist Chris Burden https://www.theartstory.org/blog/dangerous-art-the-weapons-of-performance-artist-chris-burden/ In her fiction and essays, West Virginia writer Marie Manilla delights in presenting fuller, perhaps unexpected, portraits of Appalachians, especially those who live in urban areas. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Marie's books include The Patron Saint of Ugly, Shrapnel, and Still Life with Plums: Short Stories. She lives in Huntington, her hometown, with her Pittsburgh-born husband, Don.   Instagram and Facebook: @MarieManilla, Author website    Watchers        Zany lies amid clutter on the floor beneath the dining room windows hugging her bandaged arm. She huffs loudly enough to reach the front porch where Mom and Aunt Vi imbibe scotch. Vi still isn't used to afternoon drinking. They can't hear Zany over the Krebbs' crying baby on the other side of the duplex wall. Stupid baby. Plus Zany's little sister overhead dancing to the transistor radio, rattling the light fixture dangling from the ceiling.        The fingertips on Zany's bandaged arm are cold and maybe even blue. This is slightly alarming. She considers running to Mom but knows better. Take the damn thing off then, Mom will say.        There's nothing wrong with Zany's arm, but that isn't the point. At breakfast, without preamble, she wound an Ace bandage from her palm to her armpit. The family no longer asks what she's up to. Last week during Ed Sullivan she sat at her TV tray dripping candle wax over her fist. Aunt Vi blinked with every splat, but Mom only said: “If you get that on my rug I'll take you across my knee. I don't care how old you are.” Zany is thirteen.        Week before, Zany taped a string of two-inch penny nails around her throat at the kitchen table where Dad rewired one of Mom's salvaged lamps. “Why don't you do that in your room?”  Dad didn't like sharing his workspace. Zany shrugged and the nail tips jabbed her collarbones.  She could have done it in her room, but doing the thing wasn't the point. It was having someone watch that mattered. If no one watched, who would believe she could endure that much discomfort?        Nobody is watching now, so Zany grips a dining table leg and pulls it toward her, or tries to. It's hard to budge through Mom's junk piles, plus the weight of the extra leaf Dad inserted when Aunt Vi and Cousin Lester moved in after their apartment collapsed. Aunt Vi brought cans of flowery air freshener to hide the hoard smell—rotten food and cat piss. They don't own a cat.  Lester, sixteen, bought a box of rubble-rescued books.        “You better be setting the table!” Mom calls through the screen.        Zany hates Mom's manly haircut and has said so. “It's Gig's turn!”        Overhead, Gig stomps the floor in the bedroom they now share. Aunt Vi got Zany's attic where Mom's hoard had been disallowed, but it's begun trickling up. “No, it's not!” Gig's transistor blares louder.        “Zany!” Mom calls. “I swear to God! And close those drapes!”        Mom can't stand looking at the neighbor's wall she could reach across and touch, but Zany craves fresh air, as fresh as Pittsburgh air can be. Plus, she likes counting the yellow bricks Andy Warhol surely counted when this was his childhood home, the dining room his make-shift sickroom when he suffered St. Vitus Dance. Zany is certain his bed would have been right here by the window where he could see a hint of sky if he cricked his neck just right. She lies in his echo and imagines the day she'll appear at his Factory door in New York City and say: “I used to live in your house.” Andy will enfold her in his translucent arms before ushering her inside, not to act in his films or screen print his designs, but to be his equal. Partner, even. Zany just has to determine her own art form. It sure won't be cutting fruit cans into flowers like Warhol's mother did for chump change.        Zany's legs start the herky-jerky Vitus dance as if she's running toward that Factory dream. Her pelvis and hips quake. The one free arm. The back of her head jitters against the floor. It's a familiar thrum even Aunt Vi and Lester are accustomed to now. Mom yells: “Stop that racket!” She mutters to Vi: “We never should have bought this place.”       A kitchen timer dings and Aunt Vi comes in to disarm it. Her cooking is better than Mom's, and Vi wears an apron and dime store lipstick while she does it. Fresh peas instead of canned. Real mashed potatoes instead of instant. Vi is a better housekeeper, too, organizing Mom's trash into four-foot piles that line the walls. Every day Mom trolls back alleys and neighbors' garbage in dingy clothes that make her look like a hobo. That's what the kids say:  Your mom looks like a hobo. She pulls a rickety cart and loads it with moldy linens, rolled-up rugs, dented wastebaskets. Zany wonders if Dad regrets marrying the wrong sister. She knows he regrets not having a son, a boy who could have been Lester if Dad had a different heart. Instead, Dad got Lester on at the blast furnace, because “No one sleeps under my roof for free.” Who needs a high school diploma?        In the kitchen, Aunt Vi lets out one of her sobs. She only does that in private after Mom's third scolding: “He's dead, Vi. Crying won't bring him back.”        Zany misses Uncle Mo, too. His pocketful of peppermints. The trick coin he always plucked from Zany's ear. The last time Zany's family visited, she walked through their decrepit Franklin Arms apartment with its spongy floors and clanking pipes, but no maze of debris to negotiate. No cat piss smell or sister blaring the radio. She found Lester in his room at a child's desk he'd outgrown, doughy boy that he then was, doing homework without being nagged.  Astounding. His room was spartan, plenty of space for a second bed if Zany asked Aunt Vi sweetly enough. But no. Zany couldn't abandon Andy in his Dawson Street sickbed. Lester's only wall decoration was a world map strung with red yarn radiating from Pittsburgh to France, China, the South Pole. She wanted to ask why those destinations, but didn't, entranced as she was by all that fresh-aired openness, plus his feverishly scribbling hand.       Now, Aunt Vi leans in the dining room dabbing her face with a dishtowel. She's aged a decade since moving here and it isn't all due to grief. She targets Zany on the floor. “Everything all right in here?”        Zany has stopped breathing. Her eyes are glazed and her tongue lolls from her mouth.  She's getting better at playing dead.        “All right then.” Aunt Vi is getting better at not reacting. The screen door slams behind her.        Zany pulls in her tongue and inhales. She starts counting bricks again until Aunt Vi calls: “There they are!” as she does every workday.        Zany pictures Dad and Lester padding up Dawson. Wet hair slicked back because they shower off the stench before coming home. Zany appreciates that. Their boots scrape the steps to the porch where Aunt Vi will take their lunchpails. And there she is coming through the door and dashing to rinse their thermoses at the kitchen sink. Mom will stay put and pour Dad a finger of scotch.        Lester bangs inside and pauses in the dining room entryway. He's leaner now on account of the physical labor. Taller too. He eyes Zany's bandaged arm, not with Aunt Vi's alarm, but with the kind of baffled wonder Zany has always been after. Their eyes meet and it's the same look he gave her the day she walked backward all the way to the Eliza Number Two—not  because Dad and Lester worked there, but because it was lunchtime, and a gaggle of men would  be eating beneath that pin oak by the furnace entrance. And there they were, her father among them, not easy to see having to crane her neck as Zany picked her way over the railroad tracks.        “What the hell is she doing?” said Tom Folsom. Zany recognized her neighbor's voice.  “She's off her nut,” said another worker.       Zany twisted fully around to see if her father would defend her, but he was already hustling back to the furnace.        “Something's not right with that girl,” said Folsom.        “Nothing wrong with her,” said Lester from beneath a different tree where he ate his cheese sandwich alone.        Folsom spit in the grass. “Shut up, fairy boy.”        Lester wasn't a fairy boy, Zany knew.        Today, leaning in the dining room, Lester looks as if he can see inside Zany's skull to the conjured Factory room she and Andy will one day share: walls scrubbed clean and painted white.  Her drawings or paintings lining the walls in tidy rows. Maybe sculptures aligned on shelves. Or mobiles overhead spinning in the breeze. Lester nods at her fantasy as if it's a good one. He has his own escapism. Zany knows that too, and she looks away first so her eyes won't let him know that she knows.        Lester heads to the cellar where he spends most of his time. Mom partitioned off the back corner for him with clothesline and a bed sheet. Installed an army cot and gooseneck lamp on a crate. Andy Warhol holed up in the cellar when he was a kid developing film in a jerry-rigged darkroom. Zany constructed one from an oversized cardboard box she wedged into that shadowy space beneath the stairs. She cut a closable door in the box and regularly folds herself inside to catalogue her achievements in a notebook. Stood barefoot on a hot tar patch on Frazier Street for seventy-two seconds. Mr. Braddock called me a dolt, but I said: You're the dolt!        From below, the sound of Lester falling onto his cot followed by a sigh so deep Zany's lungs exhale, too. Whatever dreams he had got buried under apartment rubble along with Uncle Mo.       Outside, Dad has taken Aunt Vi's creaky rocker. “He's a strange one,” he says about Lester. “What's he up to down there?”        Mom says, “Who the hell knows?”        Zany clamps her unbandaged hand over her mouth to keep that knowledge from spilling.  She saw what he was up to the day she was tucked in her box and forgot time until footsteps pounded the stairs above her. She peeked through the peephole she'd punched into her cardboard door as Lester peeled off his shirt, his pants. He left on his boxers and socks. Didn't bother to draw his sheet curtain, just plopped on the cot and lit a cigarette. His smoking still surprised her. The boy he once was was also buried under rubble. Zany regretted not making her presence known, but then it was too late with Lester in his underwear, and all. Plus, she was captivated by his fingers pulling the cigarette to his lips. The little smoke rings he sent up to the floor joists. She wondered if he was dreaming of China or the South Pole, or just sitting quietly at his too-small desk back in his apartment inhaling all that fresh air. Finally, he snubbed out the cigarette in an empty tuna can. Zany hoped he would roll over for sleep, but he slid a much-abused magazine from beneath his pillow and turned pages. Even in the scant light Zany made out the naked lady on the cover. Zany's heart thudded, even more so when Lester's hand slipped beneath his waistband and started moving up and down, up and down. She told her eyes to close but they wouldn't, both entranced and nauseated by what she shouldn't be seeing. She knew what he was up to, having done her own exploring when she had her own room. She'd conjure Andy Warhol's face and mouth and delicate hands—because those rumors weren't true. They just weren't. Harder to explore in the bed she now shared with Gig. Stupid Aunt Vi, and stupid collapsed Franklin Arms.       What Lester was up to looked angry. Violent, even. A jittery burn galloped beneath Zany's skin and she bit her lip, drawing blood. But she couldn't look away from Lester's furious hand, his eyes ogling that magazine until they squeezed shut and his mouth pressed into a grimace that did not look like joy. The magazine collapsed onto his chest and his belly shuddered. Only then did Zany close her eyes as the burn leaked through her skin. When Lester's snores came, she tiptoed upstairs to collapse on Andy's echo. She caught Lester seven more times, if caught is the right word, lying in wait as she was, hoping to see, hoping not to.  “You better be setting the table!” Mom yells now from the porch.        Zany grunts and makes her way to the kitchen where Aunt Vi pulls a roast from the oven.  Zany heaves a stack of plates to the dining room and deals them out like playing cards.  “Don't break my dishes!” Mom calls. I hate your hair, Zany wants to say.  There is a crash, but it's not dishes. It comes from overhead where Gig screams.  Thumping on the stairs as she thunders down, transistor in hand. “Zany!”  Gig rushes into the dining room, ponytail swaying, eyes landing on her sister. “He's been shot!”        Zany's mind hurtles back two months to when Martin Luther King was killed. Riots erupted in Pittsburgh's Black neighborhoods: The Hill District and Homewood and Manchester.  “Who?” Zany says, conjuring possibilities: LBJ, Sidney Portier. But to Zany, it's much worse.        “Andy Warhol!”        Zany counts this as the meanest lie Gig's ever told. “He was not.”        “Yes, he was!” Gig turns up the radio and the announcer confirms it: a crazed woman shot Warhol in his Factory.       Aunt Vi comes at Zany with her arms wide, because she understands loss. “Oh, honey.”  Zany bats her hands away. “It's not true.”        Vi backs into Mom's hoard. “Is he dead?”        Gig says: “They don't know.”        Zany can't stomach the smug look on Gig's face, as if she holds Andy's life or death between her teeth. Zany wants to slap that look off, so she does.        Gig screams.        “What the hell's going on in there?” Mom calls.        “Zany hit me!” Gig says at the very moment Aunt Vi says: “Andy Warhol's been shot!”  “No he wasn't!” Zany says again, wanting to slap them both.        Mom and Dad hustle inside where Gig cups her reddening cheek and bawls louder.  “It's nothing,” Mom says at the sight of her sniveling daughter, but Dad enfolds Gig in his arms. “There, there.”        “Don't coddle that child,” says Mom, and for once Zany agrees.        “Now, Mae.” Dad cups the back of Gig's head and there's a different look on her face.  Triumph, maybe.        Pounding on the shared duplex wall, Evie Krebbs, who never could shush that wailing baby. “Andy Warhol's been shot!” she calls to them. “Did you all hear?”        “We heard,” Mom answers as the baby cries louder, and so does Gig, who won't be upstaged. Mom says: “That's the price of fame I guess.”        “Being shot?” says Aunt Vi.        “Put yourself in the public eye and anything's liable to happen. Lotta kooks in this world.”       The neighbor kids' chant sounds in Zany's head: Your mother's a hobo.        “I'd rather be shot than a hobo,” says Zany.        Mom's head snaps back. “What the hell's that supposed to mean?”        Zany doesn't fully know what she means, or maybe she does.        Dad says, “Turn up the radio and see if he's dead.”        Zany doesn't want to know the answer, and to keep him alive she runs to the basement where Andy will always be a sickly boy developing film. Never mind Lester in his bed sending smoke rings up to the floor joists. Never mind her family still jabbering overhead.       Zany dashes to her cardboard box and closes the door, her body shaking, but not from any disease. Andy can't be dead. He just can't, because if he is Zany will never make it to New York. Will never pound on his Factory door. She will never be famous enough for someone to shoot.        She doesn't know she's sobbing until Lester's voice drifts over. “Zany?”        It's hard to speak with that hand gripping her throat and her father overhead still babbling: “Turn it up, Gig.” All Zany eeks out is a sob.        Lester's skinny voice slips through that slit in her door. “Zany?”        The grip loosens and Zany puts her eye to the peephole.        There he is, Lester, on his narrow cot in the windowless cellar where he now lives. He slides his hand into his waistband and he tilts his head toward her. “Are you watching?”  Zany's breathing settles, and the overhead voices disappear taking with them the possibility of Andy's death. Her eyes widens so she can take it all in, the violent strokes, his contorting face, because she won't look away from Lester's pain, or hers.  Finally, she answers him: “Yes.” 

Hollywood veteran Tina Lifford has played over 100 characters in her long-standing career, including most notably, the vivacious Aunt Vi on the critically acclaimed television drama Queen Sugar. Tina has starred opposite Hollywood greats including Clint Eastwood, Jennifer Lopez, and Bruce Willis. Outside of acting, Tina is the author of The Little Book of BIG LIES, released by HarperCollins and chosen by Forbes.com as a must-read to make 2021 your best year yet. Tina is a visionary thought leader in the field of Inner Fitness. As the strategist and architect behind The Inner Fitness Project, she brings deep wisdom, personal experience, and respect for the human condition that allows her to engage people in the process of internal transformation, healing, and resilience building. As an author and speaker, Tina fosters the idea that we can all live life well and thrive.

Originally aired October 7, 2020 Tina Lifford, an award-winning actress (Queen Sugar) and the Founder & CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, joins Denise Love Hewett for a conversation about  the nitty-gritty aspects of personal development and practices that foster well-being so that one can be fully alive and THRIVE in one's life. Tina leaves us with many takeaways including the guiding principles of The Surviving Self, The Thriving Self and The Infinite Self.     About Tina Lifford: Hollywood veteran Tina Lifford plays the vivacious breakout character Aunt Vi on the critically acclaimed television drama, Queen Sugar. She has played over 100 characters in her long-standing career, including notable roles on Scandal and Parenthood. Equally accomplished behind the camera, Tina is the respected playwright of THE CIRCLE, a play about how seven diverse women navigate the choppy waters of life together; author of The Little Book of BIG LIES (released by Harper Collins in November 2019); and CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, a personal development network committed to making the practices and benefits of “Inner Fitness” as familiar, well understood and accessible as those of physical fitness.    Recommended Reading:  White Rage by Carol Anderson

Well y'all, this is it. The series finale of Bourbon & Bordelons because we've reached the series finale of Queen Sugar, the television show that stole our hearts and minds and showed Blackness in an entirely unique and interesting light. New, original storytelling. The crew of Janay, Chaunece, Jibri and Corey break down the series finale episode "For They Existed" and take flight with the whole crew: Nova, Ralph Angel and even Charley, along with Aunt Vi, Hollywood, Prosper, Darla, Micah and Blue. We spend a few more minutes with them as they take flight into their own world from here on out. The crew drops some Advictions and as is customary, a shot of bourbon for the character who had the best SHOW, yep, for the ENTIRE series. Who might that be? You'll have to check it out. Thank you for listening each week and for sharing your thoughts and opinions with us via social media and emails, etc. It was all appreciated. Shouts out to Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey and all of the actors who played the characters we came to know and love. Rutina Wesley, Kofi Siriboe, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Omar Dorsey, Tina Lifford, Bianca Lawson, Nicholas Ashe, Ethan Hutchison, Henry Sanders, Tammy Townsend, David Jensen, Amirah Vann, etc. You all are appreciated. And to all of the writers, directors, producers, etc. who had anything to do with the show, you are also appreciated. And to the music supervisor Meshell Ndegeocello who introduced us to more new music than we can truly appreciate. Thank you all. Take flight. Edited and Mixed by Panama Jackson Music: Intro- "Perfume B-Side" by Berto Antonio Outro- "Cleopatra" by Berto Antonio Music used by permission from Berto Antonio's 2020 release, WRTHY, available on all streaming platforms.

On this penultimate episode of Bourbon & Bordelons, Janay, Chaunece, Jibri and Panama beak down "Be and Be Better," the penultimate episode of Queen Sugar, and we're not happy about it. But luckily, the gang from St. Joe's brings some shenanigans. Like, does Aunt Vi not write down her recipes? Does Hollywood wear glasses? And just who did Charley think she was talking to on the phone? All those questions and more addressed on this episode of Bourbon & Bordelons, along with Advictions for the season finale and our honorary shots of bourbon! Take flight! Edited and Mixed by Panama Jackson Music: Intro - "Perfume B-Side" by Berto Antonio Outro - "Cleopatra" by Berto Antonio Music used by permission from Berto Antonio's 2020 release, WRTHY, available on all streaming platforms.

On this episode of The Fyx Podcast: Queen Sugar Season 7 Episode 8 Recap & Commentary find out: the after the storm happenings, why Jimmy Dale has contacted Aunt Vi, the realization Micah has come to, how Chase's appearance has impacted Darla and Ralph Angel and more.This episode was directed by: Patricia Cardoso, written by Josslyn Luckett and adapted for television by Ava Duvernay  (based upon the book Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile). Recap & Commentary provided by: Skorpyen November Don't forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. The Fyx Podcast is a Skorp Pod. Instagram: TheFyxPod Twitter: @thefyxpod #thefyxpod

On this episode of The Fyx Podcast: Queen Sugar Season 7 Episode 4 Recap & Commentary. Darla makes a trip to D.C. to support Blue, Ralph and Tru have daddy/daughter time; Aunt Vi has an unexpected visitor at the diner, Micah finds himself making a choice that he is unsure of. This episode was directed by: Stacey Muhammad, and written by Ava Duvernay and Charles Hamilton (based upon the book Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile). Recap & Commentary provided by: Skorpyen November Don't forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. Instagram: TheFyxPod Twitter: @thefyxpod #thefyxpod

On this episode of The Fyx Podcast: Queen Sugar Season 7 Episode 2 Recap & Commentary. There are some highs and some lows on this episode. Let's just say that Mr. Prosper's date with Sandy went better than he expected. Micah is stepping foot into new territory, for which he should be careful. Ralph and Darla continuing to advocate for Black Farmers in St. Joe - but suffer some losses. Aunt Vi, Hollywood and Nova continue to offer support in the best ways they know how. This episode was directed by: Kat Candler, and written by Ava Duvernay and Sara Finney - Johnson (based upon the book Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile). Recap & Commentary provided by: Skorpyen November Don't forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. Instagram: TheFyxPod Twitter: @thefyxpod #thefyxpod

On this episode of The Fyx Podcast: Queen Sugar Season 7 Episode 1 (the final season) Recap & Commentary. Its the final season of Queen Sugar - and let's just say that there is a lot of foreshadowing of what's to come. We have Nova  enjoying her new relationship with Dominic, and what could be a great opportunity to contemplate. Charli is still pursuing her political career. Micah has newfound freedom. Aunt Vi and Hollywood are being the support system they have always been for everyone. Ralph & Darla are enjoying the new addition to the family - while Ralph Angel continues to strive to support his family. And so much more .This episode was directed by: Kat Candler, and written by Ava Duvernay and Shaz Bennett (based upon the book Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile). Recap & Commentary provided by: Skorpyen November Don't forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. Instagram: TheFyxPod Twitter: @thefyxpod #thefyxpod

On this episode of The Fyx Podcast: Queen Sugar Season 6 Episode 8 Recap & Commentary. Find out what the Bordelons are up to this episode: Nova is still reeling from the police breaking into her home, and seeks to get away, but she's not alone. Davis has a big surprise for Charley, and boy is she surprised. Micah and Isaiah's friendship is challenged. Aunt Vi is trying to hide something from Hollywood and the rest of the family. Find out all about it on the recap. Don't forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. Help the podcast by purchasing merch @ skorpmerch.com  and/or via Cashapp: $SkorpNovember Instagram: TheFyxPod Twitter: @fyxpod

In this episode, creator Kelli Richardson Lawson introduces Tina Lifford, a critically acclaimed actress, known for her role as Aunt Vi on OWN's Queen Sugar. Tina is also author of The Little Book of Big Lies and CEO and creator of the Inner Fitness Project. Tina shares her own hard-won wisdom about the importance of maintaining our inner fitness, which often takes a backseat to our physical fitness. She says it's the inner self we must learn to care for - those mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of ourselves. Tina says there are actionable ways we can care for the inner self and feel the benefits almost immediately. When dealing with a family or friend who suffers from addiction,  Tina urges listeners to tend to themselves first, so you have the reserves necessary to help others.

On this episode is Queen Sugar Season 6 Episode 6 Recap & Commentary. Find out what the Bordelons are up to this episode: Charley's political career may be taking a turn, Micah's sexuality is questioned, Ralph Angel has to come clean to Darla about some things and has new fears, Aunt Vi and Hollywood's good deeds brings new challenges. Also Billie and Mr. Prospers evening together takes an unexpected turn. Don't forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. Help the podcast by purchasing merch @ skorpmerch.com Cashapp: $SkorpNovember Instagram: TheFyxPodTwitter: @fyxpod

On this episode is Queen Sugar Season 6 Episode 5 Recap & Commentary. Find out what the Bordelons are up to this episode: Aunt Vi and Hollywood address the elephant in the room, Black twitter has Charley shook, and what is going on with the bones found on the farm. Don't forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. Help the podcast by purchasing merch @ skorpmerch.com Cashapp: $SkorpNovember Instagram: TheFyxPod Twitter: @fyxpod

On this episode of The Fyx Podcast: Find out what the Bordelons are up to this episode: Charley and Davis have an announcement, Ralph Angel introduces a new friend, and Hollywood finds out about a secret Aunt Vi has been keeping. Don't forget to show support by Rating, Subscribing & Sharing. Buy merch @ skorpmerch.com Cashapp: $SkorpNovember Instagram: TheFyxPod Twitter: @fyxpod SkorpyenNovember.com

This week the crew is together again to talk about the latest episode of Queen Sugar. Jibri, Chaunece, and Janay welcome Corey back to discuss all the drama including Aunt Vi's prized lies. Also, Chaunece calls out Ralph Angel for his treatment of Darla. Come for the Advictions and stay for the shots! Take flight!

The Bourbon & Bordelons crew is back to talk that talk about all things Queen Sugar. Season 6's premier episode, "If You Could Enter Their Dreaming" debuted so that means it's time to get back to work. Chaunece, Janay, Jibri and Panama—Corey will be back, he just got married, y'all!—recap the episode, break down The Good, The Bad & The Rona, drop some Advictions and give a shot of Bourbon, like we always do around here. And this season looks to be full of secrets, controversy and confrontations with Nova, Charley, Ralph Angel and Aunt Vi. Take flight! Edited and Mixed by Panama Jackson Music: Intro- "Perfume B-Side" by Berto Antonio Outro- "Cleopatra" by Berto Antonio Music used by permission from Berto Antonio's 2020 release, WRTHY, available on all streaming platforms.

Power of Black TV Before Oprah or Arsenio there was a PBS show called Soul! that launched superstars and became a national platform for the Black Power movement. A new documentary on HBO Max looks at Ellis Haizlip, the man behind the groundbreaking show. Plus, season 6 of Queen Sugar kicks off Tuesday. Actress Tina Lifford talks about the power of Aunt Vi, OWN and Ava Duvernay. #MrSoul #QueenSugar #CafeMochaRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG LIES: A Journey into Inner Fitness (Amistad; November 19, 2020), where she tackles the debilitating falsehoods from her past that held her back, encouraging others to do the same in their lives. Sure, Lifford starred opposite such Hollywood icons as Clint Eastwood, Jennifer Lopez, Sidney Poitier, and Bruce Willis—but her passion for acting is rivaled only by her passion for the art of effectively navigating life's hurts, dramas, traumas, upsets, disappointments, and fears. Lifford defines inner fitness as the development of inner skills—mental, emotional and spiritual practices—that strengthen the inner Self. She began her practice of “inward focus” at age seven. Years later, the drug-overdose death of her only brother birthed in her a mission to systematize self-care principles into a non-religious set of inner fitness guidelines for the everyday management of life; believing that inner fitness is as important as physical and delivers equal far reaching benefit to one's inner health and well-being. Lifford evolved into a sage, astute Inner Fitness Trainer and well-being coach with over 20 years of experience working with clients worldwide. Tina Lifford began her acting career in 1983. Since then, the veteran Hollywood actress's multi-faceted career has left an imprint on audiences worldwide. She currently plays Aunt Vi on Queen Sugar, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network's hit television show. She is also a recognized playwright and CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, a personal development network that teaches individuals to focus more on thriving than on surviving. She desires to inspire people from all walks of life to invest in their emotional wellbeing and act on their dreams so that they can feel less stressed and respond to life with more personal power, insight, and wisdom.The Little Book of Big Lies: A Journey Into Inner Fitnesshttps://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Big-Lies-Journey/dp/0062930281/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=The Inner Fitness Projecthttps://www.theinnerfitnessproject.com/Music for PodcastGroove Grove by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3831-groove-groveLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Original Broadcast: 09/28/2020

THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG LIES: A Journey into Inner Fitness (Amistad; November 19, 2020), where she tackles the debilitating falsehoods from her past that held her back, encouraging others to do the same in their lives. Sure, Lifford starred opposite such Hollywood icons as Clint Eastwood, Jennifer Lopez, Sidney Poitier, and Bruce Willis—but her passion for acting is rivaled only by her passion for the art of effectively navigating life's hurts, dramas, traumas, upsets, disappointments, and fears. Lifford defines inner fitness as the development of inner skills—mental, emotional and spiritual practices—that strengthen the inner Self. She began her practice of “inward focus” at age seven. Years later, the drug-overdose death of her only brother birthed in her a mission to systematize self-care principles into a non-religious set of inner fitness guidelines for the everyday management of life; believing that inner fitness is as important as physical and delivers equal far reaching benefit to one's inner health and well-being. Lifford evolved into a sage, astute Inner Fitness Trainer and well-being coach with over 20 years of experience working with clients worldwide. Tina Lifford began her acting career in 1983. Since then, the veteran Hollywood actress's multi-faceted career has left an imprint on audiences worldwide. She currently plays Aunt Vi on Queen Sugar, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network's hit television show. She is also a recognized playwright and CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, a personal development network that teaches individuals to focus more on thriving than on surviving. She desires to inspire people from all walks of life to invest in their emotional wellbeing and act on their dreams so that they can feel less stressed and respond to life with more personal power, insight, and wisdom.The Little Book of Big Lies: A Journey Into Inner Fitnesshttps://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Big-Lies-Journey/dp/0062930281/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=The Inner Fitness Projecthttps://www.theinnerfitnessproject.com/Music for PodcastGroove Grove by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3831-groove-groveLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Original Broadcast: 09/28/2020

THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG LIES: A Journey into Inner Fitness (Amistad; November 19, 2020), where she tackles the debilitating falsehoods from her past that held her back, encouraging others to do the same in their lives. Sure, Lifford starred opposite such Hollywood icons as Clint Eastwood, Jennifer Lopez, Sidney Poitier, and Bruce Willis—but her passion for acting is rivaled only by her passion for the art of effectively navigating life's hurts, dramas, traumas, upsets, disappointments, and fears. Lifford defines inner fitness as the development of inner skills—mental, emotional and spiritual practices—that strengthen the inner Self. She began her practice of “inward focus” at age seven. Years later, the drug-overdose death of her only brother birthed in her a mission to systematize self-care principles into a non-religious set of inner fitness guidelines for the everyday management of life; believing that inner fitness is as important as physical and delivers equal far reaching benefit to one's inner health and well-being. Lifford evolved into a sage, astute Inner Fitness Trainer and well-being coach with over 20 years of experience working with clients worldwide. Tina Lifford began her acting career in 1983. Since then, the veteran Hollywood actress's multi-faceted career has left an imprint on audiences worldwide. She currently plays Aunt Vi on Queen Sugar, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network's hit television show. She is also a recognized playwright and CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, a personal development network that teaches individuals to focus more on thriving than on surviving. She desires to inspire people from all walks of life to invest in their emotional wellbeing and act on their dreams so that they can feel less stressed and respond to life with more personal power, insight, and wisdom.The Little Book of Big Lies: A Journey Into Inner Fitnesshttps://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Big-Lies-Journey/dp/0062930281/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=The Inner Fitness Projecthttps://www.theinnerfitnessproject.com/Music for PodcastGroove Grove by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3831-groove-groveLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Original Broadcast: 09/28/2020

Tina Lifford is an actor, author, playwright and founder. She plays the powerful character Aunt Vi on the drama television series “Queen Sugar” which airs on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Tina’s best-selling book is titled The Little Book of Big Lies: A Journey Into Inner Fitness and ties in with her Inner Fitness Project where she focuses on helping others build inner fitness, making it as essential as physical fitness. She is this week’s beautiful guest on Another Door Opens with Stephanie Himango.• Learn more about Tina at TinaLifford.com and www.theinnerfitnessproject.com and follow her on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook @tinalifford.• Subscribe to support the Another Door Opens podcast for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/anotherdooropens and know you’re making the world a better place one conversation at a time. It's about opening hearts and minds. • Follow the Another Door Opens podcast on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook at @stephhimango and @podcastado. • Visit https://www.stephaniehimango.com to learn more about host, Stephanie Himango. • Another Door Opens theme music by Eric Brown.#anotherdooropens #queensugar #queensugarown #innerfitness #theinnerfitnessproject #lovewins #openhearts #openminds #story #storytelling #empathy #change #growth #threeselves #selflove #grandcanyon #thebigchill #lawrencekasdan #tiffanydcross #oprah #ava #acting #drama #vulnerability #grace #courage #love #film #movies #television #filmmaking See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Derik Mills speaks with Tina Lifford, CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, a wellbeing initiative that teaches practices for navigating life with mindfulness and resilience. They discuss Tina's thriving acting career (currently playing Aunt Vi on Queen Sugar), her work as an Inner Fitness Coach, and her book, The Little Book of Big Lies - A Journey Into Inner Fitness, which has received multiple awards—a Nautilus Book and Book Authority award winner and Forbes' 21 Books That Will Make 2021 Your Best Year Yet. In their discussion, Tina shares how to overcome fear and start leading a more authentic life. She also touches on the importance of group work, developing a dialogue with oneself, and the power of journaling to uncover our true purpose. Listen to all episodes of The Glo Podcast at glo.com/podcast

The Return of Queen Sugar Before Queen Sugar, Hollywood wouldn't have produced a series about a Black family that owned a farm. Tina Lifford, Aunt Vi, talks about the powerful storytelling and relatable characters that won people over. #QueenSugar #CreatingALegacy #SaluteHerAwards

Hollywood veteran Tina Lifford plays the vivacious breakout character Aunt Vi on the critically acclaimed television drama, Queen Sugar. She has played over 100 characters in her long-standing career, including notable roles on Scandal and Parenthood. Equally accomplished behind the camera, Tina is the respected playwright of THE CIRCLE, a play about how seven diverse women navigate the choppy waters of life together; author of The Little Book of BIG LIES (released by Harper Collins); and CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, a wellbeing initiative committed to making the practices and benefits of “Inner Fitness” as familiar, well understood and accessible as those of physical fitness. Tina refers to herself as an Inner Fitness Advocate and Strategist, providing information and life strategies that build a strong, resilient inner Self capable of masterfully navigating life's challenges and opportunities.  Through the Inner Fitness lens, Tina encourages everyone, no matter their age or gender, to acknowledge the Self that lives inside, embrace their innate worth and learn to take their power back from old hurt, in order to live well and thrive. Tina Lifford is a graduate of the Spiritual Psychology Program at the University of Santa Monica and of the Coaches Training Institute, and is a licensed Spiritual Practitioner. She designs and facilitates inner health and wellbeing workshops, has a private coaching practice, and facilitates live online Inner Fitness workouts. Past partners include Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline, Disney, Kellogg School of Management and The Smithsonian Institute. Visit her website at www.theinnerfitnessproject.com.

In THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG LIES, Lifford shares both personal stories and client stories from The Inner Fitness Project that she established in 2011. It is a book designed to help the reader unpack and break free from “lies”—stifling thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors—they carry, including:•Certain pain is destined to last forever•Something’s wrong or against you•Feeling bullied by an old painful event and insecurity•Being knocked off your center by an old pattern•Thinking that how you feel doesn’t matter •What “I can’t” really means•Finding the stored memory behind “I’m upset because...”Throughout the book, Lifford offers tips and exercises to help the reader identify each lie, practice uncovering the truth behind it, and guide them on a journey of self-discovery to help turn shame into self-acceptance, self-rejection into self-love, blame into freedom, and old hurt into power. Wise and powerful, THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG LIES will completely change how you think and live.About the Author: Tina Lifford began her acting career in 1983. Since then, the veteran Hollywood actress’s multi-faceted career has left an imprint on audiences worldwide. She currently plays Aunt Vi on Queen Sugar, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network’s hit television show. She is also a recognized playwright and CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, a personal development network that teaches individuals to focus more on thriving than on surviving. She desires to inspire people from all walks of life to invest in their emotional wellbeing and act on their dreams so that they can feel less stressed and respond to life with more personal power, insight, and wisdom.www.tinalifford.comwww.theinnerfitnessproject.com Facebook: Tina LiffordInstagram: @tinaliffordInstagram: @theinnerfitnessprojectMusic for PodcastGroove Grove by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3831-groove-groveLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG LIES, Lifford shares both personal stories and client stories from The Inner Fitness Project that she established in 2011. It is a book designed to help the reader unpack and break free from “lies”—stifling thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors—they carry, including:•Certain pain is destined to last forever•Something’s wrong or against you•Feeling bullied by an old painful event and insecurity•Being knocked off your center by an old pattern•Thinking that how you feel doesn’t matter •What “I can’t” really means•Finding the stored memory behind “I’m upset because...”Throughout the book, Lifford offers tips and exercises to help the reader identify each lie, practice uncovering the truth behind it, and guide them on a journey of self-discovery to help turn shame into self-acceptance, self-rejection into self-love, blame into freedom, and old hurt into power. Wise and powerful, THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG LIES will completely change how you think and live.About the Author: Tina Lifford began her acting career in 1983. Since then, the veteran Hollywood actress’s multi-faceted career has left an imprint on audiences worldwide. She currently plays Aunt Vi on Queen Sugar, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network’s hit television show. She is also a recognized playwright and CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, a personal development network that teaches individuals to focus more on thriving than on surviving. She desires to inspire people from all walks of life to invest in their emotional wellbeing and act on their dreams so that they can feel less stressed and respond to life with more personal power, insight, and wisdom.www.tinalifford.comwww.theinnerfitnessproject.com Facebook: Tina LiffordInstagram: @tinaliffordInstagram: @theinnerfitnessprojectMusic for PodcastGroove Grove by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3831-groove-groveLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG LIES, Lifford shares both personal stories and client stories from The Inner Fitness Project that she established in 2011. It is a book designed to help the reader unpack and break free from “lies”—stifling thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors—they carry, including:•Certain pain is destined to last forever•Something’s wrong or against you•Feeling bullied by an old painful event and insecurity•Being knocked off your center by an old pattern•Thinking that how you feel doesn’t matter •What “I can’t” really means•Finding the stored memory behind “I’m upset because...”Throughout the book, Lifford offers tips and exercises to help the reader identify each lie, practice uncovering the truth behind it, and guide them on a journey of self-discovery to help turn shame into self-acceptance, self-rejection into self-love, blame into freedom, and old hurt into power. Wise and powerful, THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG LIES will completely change how you think and live.About the Author: Tina Lifford began her acting career in 1983. Since then, the veteran Hollywood actress’s multi-faceted career has left an imprint on audiences worldwide. She currently plays Aunt Vi on Queen Sugar, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network’s hit television show. She is also a recognized playwright and CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, a personal development network that teaches individuals to focus more on thriving than on surviving. She desires to inspire people from all walks of life to invest in their emotional wellbeing and act on their dreams so that they can feel less stressed and respond to life with more personal power, insight, and wisdom.www.tinalifford.comwww.theinnerfitnessproject.com Facebook: Tina LiffordInstagram: @tinaliffordInstagram: @theinnerfitnessprojectMusic for PodcastGroove Grove by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3831-groove-groveLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Tina Lifford, an award-winning actress (Queen Sugar) and the Founder & CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, joins Denise Love Hewett for a conversation about  the nitty-gritty aspects of personal development and practices that foster well-being so that one can be fully alive and THRIVE in one’s life. Tina leaves us with many takeaways including the guiding principles of The Surviving Self, The Thriving Self and The Infinite Self.  About Tina Lifford:Hollywood veteran Tina Lifford plays the vivacious breakout character Aunt Vi on the critically acclaimed television drama, Queen Sugar. She has played over 100 characters in her long-standing career, including notable roles on Scandal and Parenthood. Equally accomplished behind the camera, Tina is the respected playwright of THE CIRCLE, a play about how seven diverse women navigate the choppy waters of life together; author of The Little Book of BIG LIES (released by Harper Collins in November 2019); and CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, a personal development network committed to making the practices and benefits of “Inner Fitness” as familiar, well understood and accessible as those of physical fitness. 

In THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG LIES, Lifford shares both personal stories and client stories from The Inner Fitness Project that she established in 2011. It is a book designed to help the reader unpack and break free from “lies”—stifling thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors—they carry.Tina Lifford began her acting career in 1983. Since then, the veteran Hollywood actress’s multi-faceted career has left an imprint on audiences worldwide. She currently plays Aunt Vi on Queen Sugar, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network’s hit television show. She is also a recognized playwright and CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, a personal development network that teaches individuals to focus more on thriving than on surviving. She desires to inspire people from all walks of life to invest in their emotional wellbeing and act on their dreams so that they can feel less stressed and respond to life with more personal power, insight, and wisdom.www.tinalifford.comwww.theinnerfitnessproject.comThe Little Book of Big Lies: A Journey Into Inner Fitnesshttps://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Big-Lies-Journey/dp/0062930281Instagram = @tinalifford @theinnerfitnessprojectMusic for PodcastGroove Grove by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3831-groove-groveLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Hollywood veteran Tina Lifford plays the vivacious breakout character Aunt Vi on
the critically acclaimed television drama, Queen Sugar. However, she is equally accomplished behind the camera, Tina is the respected playwright of THE CIRCLE, a play about how seven diverse women navigate the choppy waters of life together; author of The Little Book of BIG LIES (released by Harper Collins in November 2019); and CEO of The Inner Fitness Project, a personal development network committed to making the practices and benefits of “Inner Fitness” as familiar, well understood and accessible as those of physical fitness. In this episode, Tina will share the work of Inner Fitness so that you can be fully alive and thrive in your life. Learn to reconnect with the deepest most satisfying parts of yourself, leave the past behind and dare to go after the life you most want to live. YES, you can have both outer success and true inner happiness! Links: TinaLifford.com BeTheAnswerEvent.com For a Free Foundational Inner Fitness Workout CLICK HERE and use the code “Thrive"   Time Stamps: 00:46 - Tina’s background and introduction 02:47 - “Standing in my truth is everything” - Tina Lifford 04:45 - How you can face fear and overcome it 12:20 - "Say yes to ourselves" - Tina Lifford 14:45 - Understanding the surviving self, the thriving self, and infinite self 21:30 - Allowing God to let us do the impossible 23:02 - “When you accept yourself you are invincible” - Tina Lifford 26:08 - The most important thing for you to do!  

Welcome to the Built By A Boss Podcast. If you’re someone who has felt the slightest inkling that there is something more in this life for you, but you feel blocked in some way; there is a breakthrough waiting for you in this episode. Or, if you already KNOW it’s time to make a change in your life or business, this conversation could be exactly what you need to get started! This episode is brought to you by Audible. Our guest is Ms. Tina Lifford. Many of you may know her as the character Aunt Vi, from the hit show, Queen Sugar on the Own Network. She’s written a wonderful book called, The Little Book of Big Lies: A Journey Into Inner Fitness. It’s definitely a game changer! If you’d like to hear more about her amazing journey and learn ALL of her cutting edge personal development practices in the book, you can sign up for a complimentary Audible trial membership at www.audibletrial.com/builtbyabossThank you for listening. MEMBERSHIP: BECOME A PATRONhttps://www.patreon.com/builtbyabossCONNECT WITH EVOLYN BROOKS: GENERAL: builtbyaboss@gmail.comLINKEDIN: linkedin.com/in/evolynbrooksWEBSITE: www.builtbyaboss.comINSTAGRAM: @builtbyabossFACEBOOK: @builtbyabossWEBSITE: https://www.inmysolitudela.com/about INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/inmysolitudela FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/inmysolitudeBOOK: Her Name Is Cranberry https://www.inmysolitudela.com/checkoutONLINE COURSE: How To Turn Your Hobby Into A New And Profitable Stream Of Income! https://bit.ly/3euXfkVCONNECT WITH TINA LIFFORD:INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/tinalifford THE INNER FITNESS PROJECT WEBSITE : www.tinalifford.comhttps://instagram.com/theinnerfitnessprojectMUSIC:Call Me by LiQWYD https://soundcloud.com/liqwyd Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/call-me-liqwyd Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/JUgEjnESJXI ABOUT EVOLYN BROOKS: Evolyn Brooks is an award-winning TV Showrunner, Digital and Experiential Events Executive Producer with major market and syndicated talk, news and reality show production credits from OWN, Telepictures, King World, Lifetime, BRAVO, WE Network, MTV, FOX, BET, CBS and NBC. As an Experiential Event and Content Producer, she has produced global experiential events and activations for companies such as Facebook, Instagram, west elm, beautycon, bumble bff and the BET Experience. Evolyn began her career on-air in television news as an anchor and general assignment reporter. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/builtbyaboss)

You may know Hollywood veteran and award-winning actress Tina Lifford as the vivacious, breakout, beloved character Aunt Vi on the critically acclaimed television drama, Queen Sugar. Or maybe you know her from one of the more than 100 characters she has played in her long-standing career.       But on this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Tina shares wisdom from her book, The Little Book of BIG LIES: A Journey Into Inner Fitness (HarperCollins), and tells us why she is passionate about making us aware of the importance of what she calls our “Inner Fitness.”       Tina’s passion for inner fitness was born out of a debilitating fifth-grade experience with stage fright, when she literally had to be carried off stage. She now helps others masterfully navigate life’s challenges and take their power back from the past. Tina believes the most important journey in life is the journey back to one’s self. During our conversation, you’ll learn three of the biggest lies we tell ourselves, why you must remember to C.R.E.W. up, what it means to be fully alive and how to be conscious of whether you’re choosing your ego or choosing your vision. For resources mentioned in this episode, or to hear interviews with more than 500 inspiring women entrepreneurs around the world, go to supportissexy.com. HAVE A QUESTION FOR SUPPORT IS SEXY PODCAST HOST ELAYNE FLUKER? TEXT HER NOW AT +1 (908) 955-9422 AND SHE'LL TEXT YOU RIGHT BACK! SERIOUSLY! :) ASK YOUR QUESTION, OR JUST REACH OUT TO SAY HELLO.

Tina Lifford is an actress, playwright and author. She currently plays Aunt Vi on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network’s show Queen Sugar, and you might also recognize her from her roles on Scandal and Parenthood. She is also known behind the camera as a playwright, and author of The Little Book of Big Lies.As you will find within moments of listening to Tina, she exudes positivity and light. In this episode we chat about her quarantine experience, her role as Aunt Vi on Queen Sugar, and ALL about inner health, well-being and the human experience. She talks about going from the surviving self to the thriving self, producing authentic art, cultivating inner resilience, and the unifying power of music. She unpacks the powerful phrase ”Up until now, from this point forward” and how daydreaming and reconnecting with gratitude can turn your day around. This conversation felt like a big warm hug for me and I hope listening in gives you this same comfort. This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music is by Ilan Isakov.

“To the degree that we want freedom, we shall have freedom.”What it felt like to self-publish Tina’s book and then get picked up by a major publisher (3:42)How to calm your ego (6:21)2 ways to handle the fear of rejection (12:50)How to deal with pain (16:56)Steps for dealing with unresolved pain (25:22)How to stay committed to your dream when things are really hard (33:55)Tina’s experience of playing Aunt Vi on Queen Sugar (37:02)Tina’s perspective on the awards situation in Hollywood for black actors (52:17)How to deal with criticism of your work (56:50)How Tina gets loved up (1:05:50)What inner fitness means and why it’s so important (1:07:20)Links mentioned in this episode:Queen SugarThe Little Book of Big LiesWater DancerInner FitnessFollow Tina:WebsiteInstagramFollow Koya:InstagramFacebook

We chat with Tina Lifford - you probably know her as Aunt Vi on the show Queen Sugar. You may not know she's also an author and what she calls an Inner Fitness strategist, committed to sharing with you the nitty-gritty aspects of personal development and practices that foster well-She's got a new book called The Little Book of BIG LIES: and TRUTHS That Set You Free that supports emotional and spiritual fitness. https://www.tinalifford.com/

Good morning you're listening to Insight a show about empowering our community. I'm Loraine Ballard Morrill. Insight is sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research www.aacr.org/donateThe Holidays are a time to rejoice, get together with family and friends and spend spend, spend! Of course this is a time for giving – we can't forget that and we have a couple of great examples of folks who are marking the holiday in the spirit of giving. We speak with Carlos Bradley from the International Association of Student Athletes about an upcoming fundraiser and toy drive for an organization that helps student athletes on the playing field and in the classroom.http://isaasports.com/We talk with Nikki Bagby from a Humbled heart and Pat Laroche from the King of Prussia Rotary Club about a pair of events Celebrating the Joy of giving with the NFL, Macy's Toys for Tots, the Rotary Club and more. that will bring toys and joy to 1500 kids njbagby@comcast.net http://www.kingofprussiarotary.org/We chat with Tina Lifford - you probably know her as Aunt Vi on the show Queen Sugar. You may not know she's also an author and what she calls an Inner Fitness strategist, committed to sharing with you the nitty-gritty aspects of personal development and practices that foster well-She's got a new book called The Little Book of BIG LIES: and TRUTHS That Set You Free that supports emotional and spiritual fitness. https://www.tinalifford.com/ But first we chat with Bilal Qayyum , Co-founder of the Father's Day Rally Committee about a call to action to parents in light of the murders of so many children in Philadelphia. The coalition is asking parents to do room checks and if there are any guns they can be turned into police no questions asked.The turn-in dates and locations are:•Saturday December 7 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.Bible Way Baptist Church1323 N. 52nd St.Philadelphia, Pa. 19131EMIR Healing Center59 E. Haines St.Philadelphia, Pa. 19144•Saturday December 14 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.Taylor Memorial Baptist Church3817 Germantown Ave.Philadelphia, Pa. 19140Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church419 S. 6th StreetPhiladelphia, Pa. 19147

Mostly known for her role as "Aunt Vi" in Oprah Winfrey and Ava Duvernay's produced show, "Queen Sugar", actress Tina Lifford joins Abi Ishola to discuss her newly released book, "The Little Book of Big Lies: A Journey Into Inner Fitness".

The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a Licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible version of ourselves. Last week, Dr. Mishelle and I took a deep dive into this season of Queen Sugar and this week I have a special treat for all of you anxiously anticipating the finale tonight. I had a chance to chat with the one and only Tina Lifford who portrays Aunt Vi on the show and we had an amazing conversation. We chatted about the evolution of Aunt Vi's character and how her journey mimics that of so many of us. We also chatted about giving ourselves space and time to tap into our deepest desires and she shared more about the internal work she's done to allow her to really connect with Aunt Vi's story. Grab your tickets to the Atlanta stop of the Inner Fitness Outer Beauty Tour at tinalifford.com. Use the code TBG50 for half off!   Join Dr. Joy & Dr. Key at The Will to Be Well If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory. Take the info from the podcast to the next level by joining us in The Yellow Couch Collective, therapyforblackgirls.com/ycc Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop. If you have questions or would like to discuss podcast sponsorship, email us at podcast@therapyforblackgirls.com. The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession. Make sure to follow us on social media: Twitter: @therapy4bgirls Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls  

Not only is actress Tina Lifford the soul of Queen Sugar on OWN, she's also a prolific writer and enthusiast on mind/body wellness. She will be in Atlanta on September 14th with her Inner Fitness/Outer Beauty Tour because she believes inner fitness positively impacts our inner health and supports inner well-being the way physical fitness impacts our physical health and wellness. Her book, The Little Book of Big Lies is due out in November.

Joy Ann & Jacque are finally back from their mini hiatus!   The play cousins discuss Jay Z/NFL, what’s up now with Isiah Washington, and all this fried chicken sandwich drama. And then Aunt Vi herself, actress Tina Lifford stops by to discuss Queen Sugar and Internal Fitness.

The crew's all here for this week's episode of Bourbon & Bordelons! Panama, Chaunece, Janay, Corey and Jibri are in full effect as the entire Bordelon clan grapples with intimidation tactics as a result of Charley's decision to run for City Council. Aunt Vi's restaurant gets vandalized, Ralph Angel's program gets put under a watchful eye, and the mill goes up in flames. And Hollywood is "at his mother's house." We have a hilarious recap this week and the good, the bad and the Nova is remarkably light on Nova slander! We've got Advictions and a first timer gets the ceremonial shot of bourbon! Take flight with Bourbon & Bordelons! #takeflight 0:00:00 - 00:2:11 Intro 0:02:11 - 00:09:20 Recap 00:09:30 - 00:57:50 The Good, The Bad and The Nova 00:58:00 - 01:05:50 Advictions 01:06:00 - 01:12:45 Ceremonial Shot of Bourbon

On this episode of Bourbon and Bordelons, Janay, Chaunece, Corey and Jibri chop it up about the siblings confronting Nova about the book, Micah showing back up in St. Joe's with a new style and new purpose and the various dating storylines that are developing this season! Darla and Ralph Angel have new love interests! Plus David Allan Grier shows up as Jimmy Dale, the storied ex-husband of Aunt Vi! Who gets the shot of bourbon this week? You have to listen to find out! SUBSCRIBE TO BOURBON & BORDELONS on The Blacktastic Podcast Network!

Calling all #SiriBAEs—your king is here! Queen Sugar is back and Ralph Angel, a.k.a. Kofi Siriboe (@kofisiriboe) celebrated with Cori (@corimurray) and Charli (@charlipenn) over some of Aunt Vi’s (delicious) pies. With Essence Fest 2019 just around the corner, the trio reflected on a crazy memory from Essence Fest 2016 when Kofi had the entire crowd parted like the Red Sea. He also gushes about his love for women, advice from Oprah and advocating for mental health. Things get a bit emotional when Kofi spoke about the untimely passing of his mentor, Nipsey Hussle. Listen in.Yes, Girl! Hosts: Cori Murray (@corimurray) Charli Penn (IG = @charlipenn / Twitter = @manwifedog)Executive Producer: Tiffany Ashitey (@misstiffsays)Producers: Ashley Hobbs (@ashleylatruly) + Shantel Holder (@shadesofshan_)Bookings: Cori Murray, Charli Penn, and Tiffany AshiteyAudio: Josh Gwynn (@regardingjosh) + Anthony Frasier (@anthonyfrasier)Music: Gold Standard Creative (@gscdotnyc)

The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a Licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible version of ourselves. The 4th season of Queen Sugar premieres on June 12, 2019 and we're celebrating by digging a little deeper into one of my favorite characters on the show, Aunt Vi. For this conversation, I was joined by LaShasta Bell, LPC-S. LaShasta and I chatted about the role Aunt Vi plays in her family, the dynamic between Aunt Vi & her fiancée Hollywood, why Aunt Vi might seek therapy, and she shared some of her favorite resources.    Resources Mentioned Visit our Amazon Store for all the books mentioned on the podcast! Calm app   Support Our Sponsor Shop Naturalicious at sallybeauty.com and save 10% by using the promo code 555555 at checkout.    Where to Find LaShasta http://www.ichooseme2day.org/ Grab a copy of "A Space for Me" Guided Journal Facebook: @BellLaShasta Instagram: @ichooseme2day Twitter: @ichooseme2day If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory. Take the info from the podcast to the next level by joining us in The Yellow Couch Collective, therapyforblackgirls.com/ycc Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop. If you have questions or would like to discuss podcast sponsorship, email us at podcast@therapyforblackgirls.com. The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession. Make sure to follow us on social media: Twitter: @therapy4bgirls Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls

We sit down with Vilissa Thompson, an activist and disability rights advocate who is also the creator of Ramp Your Voice!, a disability rights consultation and advocacy organization that promotes self-advocacy & empowerment for PwDs. She created the viral hashtag #DisabilityTooWhite, spurring people to share instances of erasure of people of color with disabilities from media to medicine. Connect with Vilissa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vilissakthompsonlmsw/Learn more about Ramp Your Voice!:http://rampyourvoice.com/The RYV Syllabus: http://rampyourvoice.com/2016/05/05/black-disabled-woman-syllabus-compilation/TRANSCRIPTZach: What's up, y'all? Now, listen, before we get into the "It's Zach and it's Ade," I just want to go ahead and say Ade, welcome back. I missed you, dawg.Ade: What's good, what's good?Zach: What's good? So listen--and, you know, our topic actually is very serious this episode, but I want to just go ahead and get the jokes out first, because once we get this interview done, I want to go ahead and wrap it right there, right? So, you know, what I love about Living Corporate is we dismantle--we seek, rather, 'cause I'm--let me not say that we dismantle anything, but we seek to at least address openly different stereotypes, challenges, and biases, you know, for people of color and how they really impact folks, especially in the workplace. And I want to talk about colorism really quick. Now, you're gonna be like, where am I going with this? Y'all probably listening to this like, "What are you talking about?" That's cool. So educational point for my non-melanated brothers and sisters out there. My non-Wakandans. My Buckys. My Winter Soldiers, if you will.Ade: Winter Soldiers... okay.Zach: In the black community we talk about colorism, and we attribute certain behaviors to certain black folks of specific hues. Ade: Here we go. Oh, here we go.Zach: A popular myth is that lighter-skinned black people do not answer their text messages. They leave--Ade: Actually, that's very true.Zach: They leave text messages on Read. Their text messages are on swole, as it were. Ade: I can't stand you.Zach: And I want to really recognize Ade.Ade: I only have 250 unread messages. You really can't play me like this.Zach: Ade is--and I'm not gonna--I hate it when people use food to describe women, but Ade is pretty chocolate, okay? She's pretty dark.Ade: You have to fight me after this.Zach: And yet she does not read her text messages.Ade: You're gonna have to run me the fade.Zach: She actually--in fact, just the other day I texted Ade, and she said, "Oh, hey," and I said, "Oh."Ade: It's on sight, I promise.Zach: You want to hit me with the "Oh?" Like, "Funny to see you here." That's what she hit me with, y'all. Like, "Oh."Ade: [sighs] Are you done?Zach: Hey, [in accent] are you done?Ade: [in accent] Are you done?Zach: [in accent] Are you done?Ade: See, you can't even--you can't pull a me on me. Zach: Man, I was so disappointed. I was like--man, I mean, if anything, based on these stereotypes, I should be the one ignoring your text messages. But you know what? For me to ignore Ade's text messages, y'all, guess what? She'd have to text me in the first doggone place.Ade: Wow.Zach: Wow. Whoa.Ade: This is a kind of rude I really did not intend on dealing with on tonight--Zach: So I want to say thank you, because last week we had--well, the last week before last, excuse me, we had Marty Rodgers. You know, it was a big deal. The dude is, like--he's like black consulting royalty in the DMV. You would think Ade would want to be on that podcast episode, you know what I mean?Ade: You're gonna have to fight me. I've decided. I've decided it's a fight to a death.Zach: [laughs] Oh, man. So I'm just thankful. I'm just so--this is me, like, publicly thanking Ade for being here and for texting me back. I don't know--Ade: I just want to say that I'm a good person and I don't deserve this.Zach: [laughs] You know what I think it was? I think it was the fact that we all got back on BlackPlanet for a couple days to check out that Solange content.Ade: Hm.Zach: I think that reset our chakras.Ade: Who is we?Zach: Or our ankhs. I don't know. We don't have--we don't have chakras.Ade: Who are we? I don't--Zach: Us as a diaspora. I feel as if that's--are you not a Solange fan? You didn't enjoy the Solange album?Ade: It has to grow on me, and I understand that that is sacrilegious, but I will say this--Zach: And you're supposed to be from the DMV too? Everybody from the DMV likes Solange.Ade: Let me tell you something. I listened--I waited until midnight. There is a screenshot on my phone of me starting to listen to this album at, like, 12:10, and I think at around 12:20 I was like, "You know what? Some things aren't for everybody." Everything, in fact, is not for everybody.Zach: That's real though.Ade: And I paused and went to sleep.Zach: Really? Wow. You know, I really enjoyed it, but I had to enjoy it 'cause she shouted out Houston a lot on the album. Like, a lot, so I enjoyed it off of that alone. And I'm also just a huge Solange fan, but, you know, I get it. It's one step at a time.Ade: Look, I too--I too am a huge Solange fan. A Seat at the Table is an everlasting bop of an album.Zach: Oh, it is. That's a classic. It's a very good album. It's, like, perfect.Ade: Yeah. This one--this one's just gonna have to pass me by and/or grow on me in 2 to 4 years. I don't know. Zach: You know, it's interesting because--it's interesting because I was used to--based on A Seat at the Table. This is not a music podcast, y'all. We're just getting our fun stuff out the way first. So it's interesting, because as a person who really enjoys Solange's words--like, A Seat at the Table, she had a lot of words. Didn't get a lot of words on this album.Ade: I'm told that it's--the experience is better if you watch the--I don't know what to call it. The visual--Zach: The visual album?Ade: Yeah, the visual album, in conjunction with it.Zach: Yeah, I'm actually gonna peep it. Fun fact. A couple weeks ago I told y'all about me playing Smash Bros., the video game, and I'm in a GroupMe, and one of the guys who I play Smash Bros. with was actually in the visual album.Ade: Oh, really?Zach: That's right, 'cause I got--those are the kind of circles I roll in.Ade: You know famous video players. Video game players.Zach: Yeah. Video game players, yeah. And as a side-note, he is very good at Super Smash Bros., so there. Maybe he'll be on an episode--on the podcast one day. Who knows? We'll see. Okay, so with that, let's do a very hard pivot.Ade: Sharp left turn.Zach: Sharp left, into our topic for the day. So we're talking about being disabled while other at work, and it's interesting because similar to how we brought up the Solange album out of nowhere, I was not really thinking about the fact that we don't really consider the experiences of just disabled people period, let alone disabled people of color at work.Ade: Right.Zach: I'm trying to think. Like, how many times have you worked with someone who was a person of color and disabled at work?Ade: So the thing to also think through here is the fact that there are lots of hidden disabilities.Zach: That's fair. That's a good call-out.Ade: Yeah, so there's a wide, wide range of conditions. Physical disabilities can also be invisible, but there are chronic illnesses, there are mental illnesses, cognitive disabilities, visual impairments, hearing impairments. According to the Census Bureau--apparently the ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, applies to or covers approximately 54 million Americans. Of those I'm sure many, many millions are people of color or black people in particular, and so yeah, I don't know how many people--how many people of color I've ever worked with who are disabled or who are living with a disability, but I certainly think that it's important that, as a whole, we think about how to create a more inclusive work culture that empowers people with disabilities that's not patronizing or demeaning or just outright hostile.Zach: No, I super agree with that, and just such a fair call-out to say that there's so many folks that--who do not have visible disabilities but are--who are living with a disability, and it's important that we think about that and we think--we're thoughtful about that too, so again, just my own ignorance, and it was interesting because in preparing and researching for this particular episode, it was hard to find comprehensive data, especially content that was specific to black and brown disabled experiences. I think for me--kind of taking a step back and going back to answer my own question, any [inaudible] I've worked with who have a visible disability--I have not worked with anybody in my career who has had a visible disability, visible to me anyway. And, you know, I think it's interesting. I was reading a piece. It was called "Black and Disabled: When Will Our Lives Matter?" And it was written by Eddie Ndopu. And this was back in 2017. He's the head of Amnesty International's youth engagement work for Africa, and his overall premise was historically black resistance and civil rights and things of that nature has always presented the black body as the point of resistance, right? And ultimately the image of the black form is one of strength and solidarity and able-bodiedness, right? And it's presenting this strong quote-unquote normal body as the ideal to then push up against oppression, systemic racism, and--I'm gonna present this, and I want--I'ma dare you to try to break this form, this body. And in that there's a certain level of bias, because it then automatically erases the idea of different bodies, of disabled bodies, and if that's the case then it's like, "Okay, well, then where do they fit in this narrative? Where do they fit in our story? Where do they fit in our resistance?" And so it's just really interesting to me, because I think it's just kind of calling out our own blind spots. As much as Living Corporate--we aspire to talk about and highlight the experiences and perspectives of underrepresented people in Corporate America. It's season 2 and we're just now talking about being disabled while other at work, and so, you know, it really confirmed for me how little I think about my privilege as an able-bodied person. It's a huge privilege in the fact that we're seen. We think that we're invisible, and in a variety of ways we are, but disabled people of color are even much less visible than we are. Ade: Right, and I also think that now is such a good time to start thinking through the conversations that we should be having, because we live in a time and a space where everyone's rights are sort of up for grabs, and it's especially important that we are holding space and creating a safe space for people who have less privilege than we do, and it's not enough that you give it a passing thought, because then you might as well be sending thoughts and prayers, right? And I think that if you have the ability to do something, it's--and, you know, opinions may vary, but I am firmly of the belief that if you have the ability to do something, it is your responsibility to do something, even if what you're doing is something so simple as having a conversation or amplifying the voice of those who aren't able to have that conversation.Zach: I agree with that, and that's really all the more reason why I'm excited and thankful for the guest that we have today. Her name is Vilissa Thompson. She is a disabled activist, public speaker, educator, consultant, and writer. Yeah, she's putting in the work. And we had a great conversation, and I really want y'all to hear it and check it out, so this is what I'm gonna do. We're gonna transition--wait, you know what? Ade, so I know we said we got the jokes in. We got the jokes in at the beginning 'cause I really wanted to give space for Vilissa, and we're going to. Do we want to come back and do Favorite Things?Ade: Yeah. Yeah, sure. Let's do that. Zach: All right. Cool, cool, cool. So that's what we'll do. So we'll go with our conversation with Vilissa, we'll talk about that, and then we'll get into the Favorite Things.Ade: Awesome, okay.Zach: All right, talk to y'all soon. And we're back. And as we shared before the break, we have Vilissa Thompson on the show. Vilissa, how are you doing?Vilissa: I am doing great.Zach: We're really excited for you to be here. So today we're talking about being disabled and being a person of color. Can you talk a bit about Ramp Your Voice! and where that idea came from and its mission and--just give us the origin story.Vilissa: Yes. Well, Ramp Your Voice! was founded in 2013, you know, as a way for me to discuss my experiences as a black disabled woman, as a social worker, and just the things that I've just noticed with my professional world as well as personally. When I--a year before that I started blogging more as a social worker blogger that was discussing social work through a disability lens, talking about different issues on that front. When[that wasn't really popular as a profession?] at that time, the profession had just started doing more things online, people coming up with different blogs and different platforms. So at the beginning of that, that really kind of helped me get to where I am when it comes to blogging, talking about the disabled experience from many different angles. So getting that experience [at 12?] led me to create my [inaudible] at 13, and we're 5 years now, soon to be going on 6 in 2019. You know, it has really grown into this organizational aspect to where, you know, I'm able to project myself as a voice within the community that really calls out some of the mess, you know, in a light way of saying it, that happens within the disabled community, as well as getting those who are in the broader society to understand that disability, you know, is very much a facet, you know, in the people, as well as their different identities and experiences. For me basically, I like to call myself a rightful troublemaker, because I don't feel that you're really doing good work, particularly if you're doing social justice, you know, if you're not shaking the table, if you're not ticking off somebody.Zach: Vilissa, I was agreeing with you because I think that, you know, when you're talking about topics around race and gender and really any topic around equity, right, and affirming or empowering disenfranchised groups, often ignored groups, right, like the disabled community, the disabled people of color community. If there isn't some type of discomfort there, then there probably isn't gonna be any growth, right? Like, in any other context when we talk about getting better or growing, like, there's some type of discomfort there, right? So, like, professional development or working out and getting new muscles or just growing as a person. You know, like, you have--you have pains. Having a child, there's pains associated with that. So there's just historically, and just as a matter of life, when you change and pain kind of--they go hand-in-hand, and they have historically in this nation as well. So it's just funny how we often try to avoid that, right? Like, we try to avoid discomfort while at the same time seeking to, like, enhance the platform of others, and it's like that doesn't--they can't go hand-in-hand. Vilissa: And I do want to say that sometimes, you know, changing things starts from within. I know that, particularly within the disabled community, there has been a lot of shake-ups due to, you know, the calling out of the racism that's in the disabled community when it comes to leadership, the kind of Good Ol' Boys club that really, you know, reigns true since, you know, when people think about disability, you know, what usually comes to mind is a white face, usually a white male face, and a lot of the leadership are white disabled men who have a lot of racist, sexist views, who resist the change that is needed, and I think there has been this surgance [sp] of disabled people of color to be able to ramp their voice, you know, in a sense, to talk about the issues that matter to them to bring forth a more diverse understanding of disability history that is not just white faces or white experiences. So I think that part of what I have experienced and others who do this activism work, you know, is shaking the table within to really get the change that you want outside, you know, of your own sphere.Zach: Let me ask this, and I find this--I find this genuinely interesting because, again, I don't believe that I considered the perspectives and the experiences of the disabled and disabled people of color. So, like, that entire community. So for able-bodied folks like myself, just people who aren't conscious of that experience, can you explain to me some of the different ways that unconscious bias, bias and racism, rear its head within the disabled community?Vilissa: Yes. One way is, you know, like I was saying, you know, who is disabled? You know, not really considering disabled people of color. You know, when we see the telethons and the marathons and, you know, the call for, you know, charities, it's usually, you know, white faces, and that, you know, visible erasure of representation allows communities of color to not see themselves, when communities of color, particularly black and native communities especially, have high rates of disability. So that erasure alone is very dangerous, you know, when there's certain racial groups who have a prevalence of disability, and then when you break that down further into the communities of color themselves--you know, I can only speak for the black community. You know, we do have a resistance to, you know, identifying as disabled or calling somebody's, you know, condition disabled, you know? We have these kind of cutesy words for it. "You know So-and-so?" You know, they may think like this, or, you know, "So-and-so may be a little, you know, quirky," or anything like that, and, you know, I think that for me, that has really impacted how I look at my black disabled body, you know, as somebody who's been disabled since birth. I really didn't identify as disabled until I started doing this work, because I didn't know that being disabled had its own identity and culture and pride and that there is a community of people that look like me and people that don't look like me and people who are wheelchair users like myself, people who are short of stature or little people or [inaudible], you know? So that invisibility when it comes to media, when it comes to the work that organizations do, really impacts one's ability to connect to an identity that's outside of their race and gender. So I really think that honestly both disabled and non-disabled people, you know, are both heavily disadvantaged due to that disability. I know that, you know, in coming to this space I see a lot of particularly black folks who are disabled, particularly those who have invisible or not apparent disabilities like mental illness, chronic pain. Those are all disabilities, you know? But we don't call those things that, and it can really create this disconnect in one's body and mind and what's going on within one's body and mind, as well as understanding that being disabled is just as strong of an identity as your gender and your race. So for me, connecting to particularly black disabled women [inaudible] is letting them know that it's okay to talk about your disability, you know? It's okay to talk about your mental illness. It's okay to talk about your chronic pain. It's okay to talk about the lack of medical assistance that you get because you are, you know, a [triple?] minority. You know, I really think that that type of visibility allows those open conversations, allows those community resource sharing or just tips shared or, you know, just plain support to occur. So for me I really want us to all kind of take a step back and say that "Hey, you know, disabled people are the largest minority group in the world and in the country," and we all know somebody with a disability, if it's not us ourselves who are disabled. So being disabled isn't just some identity that doesn't reach home in some way, shape, or form. It does, and I think that's the main disconnect that I see, people not understanding a community that is so vast, so diverse, and it's one where we do know somebody, and to not change the perception that we have about disabled people and the lives that we're able to live. So, you know, that's just kind of the things that I notice, you know, when it comes to non-disabled people, able-bodied people, not understanding things, and what disabled people like myself who do activism work, you know, have to kind of teach you all and also happen to bring you all into the fold for those who are actually disabled who may not at this point or for whatever reasons, usually due to stigma or shame, identify.Zach: In that you shared about being a triple minority, you talked about identity. As discussions around inclusion and diversity become more and more commonplace today, and more centered in pop culture frankly, the term "intersectionality" is used a lot. So can you talk to me about what intersectionality means for you? And I ask that because you shared that you being disabled is an entire identity to itself, and it is, right? It's a part of who you are. It shapes how you navigate and move around this world, how you see the world. At the same time, you are a woman. At the same time, you are a black woman. So I'm curious to know, how do you navigate the intersection of those--and of course those are just three. Certainly you have various other ways that you identify yourself. However, how do you navigate the various points of intersection for yourself?Vilissa: Well, I think that--you know, when I talk about intersectionality, I think what's so critical is that people cannot separate my identities because I won't let them. You know, being black is just as important to me as being a woman, as being disabled. You cannot look at me and just simply divide me into three different parts, you know? Each of my identities has interwoven into this, to me, beautiful fabric of my being, and the world reacts to me, you know, in the ways in which my identities present themselves, you know? Some people may not care that I'm black, but because I'm a woman that's a problem. Some people may not care that I'm a woman, but because I'm a wheelchair user that makes them uncomfortable. Some people may not care that I'm a wheelchair user, but because I'm black, that's the biggest issue. So when I go out into the world, I don't know at times which of these identities people are reacting to, or sometimes I can tell. It depends on, you know, if they're very open about what may make them uncomfortable or what they're, you know, I guess quote-unquote offended by, you know? By my mere existence. So for me, the world, you know, looks at me and judges me on those three primary identities that I have, and they make assumptions about my capabilities, my intellect, my social status, my educational status, you know? Just everything about me, and the one thing I always say about assumptions is, you know, the word assumption has, you know, A-S-S at the beginning of it, so you can make yourself look like an--you know, an unintentional [bleep] by making assumptions. So, you know, I really think that those assumptions have really shaped, you know, my experience, and particularly when I learned about the term "intersectionality," it just really, you know, was like a light-bulb moment. Like, "Oh, my gosh, that makes so much sense," because when I look at myself in the mirror, I see a black disabled woman, you know? I see--and I'm a Southerner. I'm from South Carolina, so, you know, I understand what it means to be in a small Southern town, you know, to live in a red state, to have the type of history that is attached to the South. As a woman I understand, you know, sexism and the ways that women are paid less and the harassment and the sexual assaults that women go through, you know, with our bodies and our mere existence, and as disabled, you know, we experience all of those things, you know? Disabled women, particularly those with intellectual disabled, have the highest rates of experience sexual violence. So in that example, you know, we have the connection of gender and disability. You know, when it comes to being a person of color, their people have the highest rates of police brutality. Over, you know, half of police brutality rates are conducted on, you know, disabled people, and there's a portion of those people who have been, you know, either the survivors or victims of police brutality have been disabled people of color. So in that example you have the race and the disability factor. So, you know, just in those type of statistics alone--and I could go on and on about the disparities when it comes to race, gender, and disability--you really cannot separate someone's experience and the disparities that they may encounter because of who they are.Zach: Let me ask this. You know, in the work that you do with your Ramp Your Voice! and of course as a professional, as an adult, can you talk to us a little bit about how to effectively support disabled people of color in the workplace?Vilissa: Mm-hmm. Well, I know that what my particular work journey has been. It's always unusual, you know, when it comes to how non-disabled people may look at it, but for disabled people it's not really unusual at all. As I said, I am, you know, as a social worker. When I got my MSW in 2012, I had wanted to look at traditional social work routes, and the one thing I found is that the requirements for social work positions, particularly those that deal with case management, DCS or CPS, you know, et cetera, requires you to either have a vehicle or be able to go out to homes, and as a wheelchair user I know that the majority of homes are not wheelchair-accessible, and as someone who did not have the ability to obtain a car because I was on SSI at the time, you know, that [inaudible] was there as well. So I quickly realized that if I wanted to make a niche for myself within social work I most likely was gonna have to do a non-traditional social work route, and lucky for me, I went from being micro-focused, which dealt with families, individuals, and groups, into a more macro focus, which is activism, community building, so on and so forth, and that's what kind of got me into writing and got me into Ramp Your Voice! So for me, many disabled people are like myself where we have these barriers. We have these systemic barriers when it comes to the job requirements. Like I mentioned, you know, being a wheelchair user, and you also have systemic barriers when it comes to government agencies as well. You know, with being on SSI, I knew that I would have to have a job that gave me insurance, because my SSI and my health care--because Medicaid--were connected. So if I was to lose the SSI, that means that I would lose the Medicaid.Zach: So let me ask this. What is--for those who don't know, and myself included, what is SSI?Vilissa: SSI is basically social security. There's two types of social security. SSI is what those who have not yet put into the system get, basically those like myself who are born with disabilities. Basically, like, younger kids whose parents make within the I guess income requirements. I was able to get them enrolled on it. And then there's SSDI, so those of us that work, we put into the SSDI system. So for me, I was on the SSI system because I hadn't put into the system yet. So for me, while I was building my brand, I was still looking for, you know, different types of employment. Luckily I lived at home with my grandmother at the time, and, you know, I was able to stay with her. You know, I had lived with her my whole life, so I was able to stay with her and build up this brand, and then when she passed at the end of 2015, I knew that I would have to get some type of employment. So I, you know, was able to get a job by the end of 2016, and that allowed me to get off of social security, 'cause I had health insurance. You know, that's the unique situation that disabled people endure. These are the systemic barriers. Now, some disabled people are not able to get off, particularly Medicaid, because they have comprehensive health care needs, and private insurance would not pay for some of those extensive health care needs that they have, like having a personal care assistant, someone coming to their home, helping them with their activities or daily living like dressing, bathing, so on and so forth, or they may need certain equipment, you know, that private insurance may not cover because it's, you know, very expensive. So some disabled people are not able to get off [inaudible] at all, and they have to be very mindful of how much income they may have to take in, how that can affect it, either their Medicaid and/or social security, particularly if they're both connected, and what does that look like. So this puts disabled people in the [inaudible] of property, because I know that when I was on social security I was getting several hundred and 30 something dollars a month, which is nothing, you know? To live off.Zach: Right. No, absolutely.Vilissa: Yeah, and that's, like, a month. So, you know, just think about that. For some people, that's their rent, you know? That's their rent payment.Zach: And that's some cheap rent too.Vilissa: Exactly. You know, so I think that what non-disabled people really don't realize is that when it comes to employment, disabled people have a lot to consider, and in some cases a lot to lose. That could put their livelihoods, and at times their lives, on the line. So when it comes to employment, you do have to be very strategic about what kind of jobs you take, what kind of money you take. If you can take money, what does that look like? And so on and so forth. I know that for me, I was willing to do some things for free while on social security because I knew the consequences of taking money while on social security, and that was my main source of income. And that's a lot to take into consideration, a lot, and when it comes to disabled people of color, we have the highest rates of unemployment within the disabled community. Disabled black folks have the highest rates of unemployment in the community. So, you know, it's not only us having these hoops to go through, but also people not being willing to hire us when it comes to looking for employment.Zach: So let's get back on Ramp Your Voice! a little bit. I love the writings and the photos and the resources. Where can people learn more about Ramp Your Voice!, and what all do you have going on in 2019?Vilissa: Well, Ramp Your Voice! is gonna be doing some very collaborative work. Right now I have a speaking agent, where I will be doing a lot of speaking gigs, signing up for universities. So if anybody wants me to come speak, you can sign me up for that. Reach out to me and I can connect you with my agent. And that has been a great experience that just occurred this year, to be able to connect with somebody who understands the vision that I have of my work and my voice and what I want to do with that through more writing. I'm in the process right now of working on my children's book, which is a picture book. This has been kind of like my baby for a very long time, and I'm now in the position to work on it the way that I desire to and bring it to life. Right now I don't have a publisher for that, but definitely looking for one. Right now I'm also looking to writing. I love writing about race, gender, and disability, to intersectionality and different things like, you know, pop media, media representation, health care, social work. So right now I'm just continuing to build the brand, continuing to talk about the experiences from a black disabled woman's perspective, and just really continuing to, you know, cause trouble. Like, one of the things I do enjoy doing is educating, you know, non-disabled folk, particularly those who are professionals in the medical field, the [inaudible] professions field like myself with social workers, therapists, really understanding disability outside of the medical model, which is basically, you know, talking about disability from a diagnosis standpoint as well as the [first-person?] language. We're saying "people with disabilities" instead of the identity-first language, which is disabled people, disabled [inaudible], disabled women, and really getting into the social model of understanding disability, which is more about, you know, disability being a, you know, identity, a culture, a community. So that's kind of what I offer for professionals who really want to ensure that if they're trying to engage with disabled people through their work, maybe through recruiting, you know, for their hiring practices, you know, whatever that they're interested in, make sure that they understand the language, because every community has its particular language that you need to know to be able to better relate and engage with those community members so you don't be out of date and, at times, unintentionally offensive by using outdated terms. So those are the things that I offer that I'm really looking forward to doing more of in 2019, as well as a couple other projects that I can't really say just yet, but just really, you know, expanding the brand, particularly since there's so many great disabled voices out there who are doing incredible work, you know, just making sure that what I'm doing is always fresh and always being welcome to reaching new audiences, reaching new professions and new worlds that, you know, disabled people live in, you know? Just because somebody doesn't self-identify as disabled doesn't mean that disabled people aren't in your organization, aren't in your community.Zach: I appreciate you educating me. I'm sure many of our listeners--and I'm curious though, before we get out of here, do you have any parting words? Any shout-outs?Vilissa: Well, I just--you know, I just really want to thank you for allowing me to be on here. Just know that disabled people are here, and we are not going anywhere, and if you don't know a disabled person, you need to step your game up and really--particularly if you are a professional--see the ways in which your organization, your body of work, is being exclusive--you know, excluding disabled people, and how you can be more inclusive of disabled people, and ensuring that if you're going to include disabled people that they represent vast, you know, gender, race, you know, sexual orientation, you know, identities, because we need more disabled people of color, disabled people of color who are LGBT, you know, in those types of spaces.Zach: Vilissa, I have to thank you for being on the show today. Thank you so much, Vilissa. We look forward to having you back on the show. We'll talk to you soon.Vilissa: Thank you.Zach: Peace. And we're back.Ade: That was an amazing interview. Beyond, I think, inspiring, which I don't think is the term that I really want to use there, but pardon my lack of or access to language at this point. I think Vilissa's story is--it's a call to action, right? It is--and I don't know if everyone has gotten the opportunity to go to Ramp Your Voice! and just take a look around, but there's actually an anthology--I was struggling with that for a second there. There's an anthology on Ramp Your Voice! where Vilissa actually did an amazing job at collecting a black disabled woman syllabus, and I did some work and went through and read some of the articles that I hadn't had access to or read before, and it's amazing. It is a body of work that I think everyone should read, not just because it gives you a really--if you can hear something crunching in the background, that's my dog Benjamin. He wanted to be featured on the--on the podcast today, so he has some thoughts.Zach: What's up, Benji? Yeah, we can definitely hear him. It's all good.Ade: Yeah. So this list has important thoughts. Like, The Stigma of Being Black and Mentally Ill, Complexities and Messiness: Race, Gender, Disability and the Carceral Mind, which was an incredibly, incredibly important read. "How I Dragged Myself Out of the Abyss That Is Depression Without A Prescription," Disabled Black People. Just very, very important works and in many, many different formats. So you have music, audio, video, poetry and fiction, books, articles. I say all that to say that there is a treasure trove of really important and interesting work, so I encourage everyone and will include the link to the syllabus, but I encourage everyone to take a look at this work. I don't even remember where I got started with singing Vilissa's praises, but yeah, amazing interview. Zach: No, super dope, and I definitely appreciate Vilissa joining the podcast. We'll definitely make sure to have all of her information in the show notes. JJ, give me some of them air horns for Vilissa. Go ahead, give 'em to me. Put 'em in here.[air horns] Aye. Thank you, thank you. Part of me wants to let off some of them blop-blops, Ade, but, you know, we're a professional podcast.Ade: Again, all I have to say is that celebratory gunshots are absolutely situationally appropriate.Zach: Man, my goodness. One day I'ma have--one day I'ma have the CEO of my current job, he's gonna be on the podcast, and we're gonna let them blop-blops go. Watch. That might be the same podcast we talk about respectability politics too, just to make some of y'all real mad.Ade: I am here for all of that action, all of it.Zach: I'm here for it. Man, so I'm definitely excited. So I have not read any of the pieces on here. I clicked the anthology, and I see--Ade: Any?Zach: I haven't. I haven't read the pieces on here. I haven't, no. Ade: Even the black feminism or the womanism category?Zach: No. I'm being honest.Ade: Oh, you have some homework.Zach: Oh, no. I have mad homework. I have mad homework. So I'm looking at the anthology. The anthology is requesting content, right? It's requesting content, but then I see right here to your point, there's a bunch of stuff on here. The Harriet Tubman Casting Cripping Up Issue, Aunt Vi, #QueenSugar, Black Women, & Our Disabled Bodies: Why We’re Still Whole, Luke Cage: The Black Disabled Superhero We Need, If I Die In Police Custody. I mean, Why Black History Matters. There's great content here, and really there's no reason for y'all not to check this out, just like there's no reason for me not to check it out further. Amen. Okay.Ade: Absolutely.Zach: Okay. Okay, okay. So let's go ahead and get into these Favorite Things. Ade, why don't you go ahead and go first?Ade: Oh, I just want to say one last thing before we move on. I think that it is incredibly important as we amplify the voices of people of color who are disabled, particularly black people, particularly black women who are disabled, I think it's important that we contextualize black history and the black experience within this paradigm, and I had to sit back and think through, for example, Harriet Tubman, who we know historically had seizures. She was injured over the course of her enslavement and had to deal with severe seizures for the rest of her life, which brought on these visions that she attributed to a religious--like, a sacred experience, but I think of how important it is to 1. contextualize these experiences and 2. fully give Harriet Tubman her due, right? Because if we lose the pieces that really and truly make up who she is, we are not truly honoring her, right? And I think that if we acknowledge that, you know, Harriet Tubman was a black woman, an enslaved woman, a disabled woman, in a time that made no space for any parts of her, I think we really and truly start to understand and give honor to who she was as opposed to having honestly a very surface-level understanding of who she was and magnifying her in a shallow way, I would say. So yeah, Harriet Tubman. Amazing woman. Disabled woman. I cannot sing her praises enough obviously. I mean, duh. Harriet Tubman. But yeah, it's so important that we talk about these things, because it's so easy to gloss over the fullness of who a person was.Zach: Okay. So with that being said, now we're ready for our Favorite Things. Ade, what you got going on? What's your Favorite Thing right now?Ade: So my one Favorite Thing right now is this guy who demanded cuddles and rubs, so he is over here face all in my lap while I try to record. I promise you, he is just big ol' face in my lap. His favorite thing--his favorite thing to do is to either jump right on top of my stomach, all 50 pounds of him, when I'm laying in bed and minding my own black business, or he likes to, when I'm sitting on the couch, literally hop on the couch and put his butt in my face. It's, like, his favorite thing. Zach: This sounds abu--oh, this is a dog. This is Benji.Ade: Yes, yes. There isn't a random man running around in my life.Zach: I was like, "Wait, why is he--he's a grown man and he weighs 50 pounds and he's jumping on your stomach? What?"Ade: I would have so, so many more problems if that were in fact the case.Zach: That is crazy. I was like, "Wait, this is too much going on." Okay, so Benji is your Favorite Thing right now?Ade: Oh, and my other Favorite Thing is the CodeNewbie podcast. I stopped listening for a little while because--Zach: What's the name? Say it again?Ade: The CodeNewbie podcast. Zach: Okay, what's that? What's the CodeNewbie podcast?Ade: It is a podcast dedicated to educating folks like me who are either transitioning into tech or even, like, if you're a CS student in college or whatever it may be, a new grad of either an undergraduate, a master's student, if you were graduating from a boot camp, all of it. It just educates an entire community of learners, and I love it so much. It's, you know, after Living Corporate, my favorite podcast to listen to.Zach: Aye. Okay, that's what's up. First of all, shout-out to Benji and to all the dogs out there. Woof woof.Ade: Not woof woof. Did you just--okay, DMX.Zach: No, DMX would be like--I can't even do it. I can't even do it now 'cause you just put me on the spot. [tries] You know what I'm saying? Like, that would be DMX.Ade: Okay, Lil' DMX.Zach: Yes. ZMX, what's up? So also, you know, we need to start doing our shout-outs, so this reminds me - shout-out to the college-aged people who listen to our podcast, shout-out to the Buckys, A.K.A. the allies, A.K.A. the Winter Soldiers out there. Ade: Oh, my God.Zach: Shout-out to the Wakandans, A.K.A. my true Africans. Shout-out to my Jamaican brethren, who allow us to get these pew-pew-pews off every episode. Thank y'all for the encouragement.Ade: Honestly, I think it's [tolerated?] at this point, but shout-out to y'all anyway.Zach: Shout-out to y'all. Shout-out to the corporate gangstas. Shout-out to Wall Street. Shout-out to the folks that don't have nothing to do, they just listen to podcasts all day. Shout-out to y'all.Ade: Shout-outs to those of you who have, in the last 3 days or so, deployed a "per my last email." I see you. I recognize your struggle, and go ahead and CC HR if necessary, [beloveds?]. It's okayZach: Amen. Shout-out to those who drink water every day. Shout-out to y'all.Ade: And if you are listening with us right now, feel free to reach over to a glass of water or a water bottle of some sort and take a sip.Zach: Shout-out to my people--shout-out to all of my black people and all of my white people, A.K.A. all of the people who know they need to wear lotion and all of those who don't really wear lotion like that. Shout-out to all of y'all, and then of course shout-out to all of my co-workers and colleagues who listen to the Living Corporate podcast. Shout-out to y'all. Who else?Ade: You know, it's funny, because I don't really tell my co-workers about our podcast just in case I need to shade them on the podcast.Zach: See? Well, that's what happens when you're not--when you don't live your truth, see? You've got to--you need to tell your co-workers about the podcast. [inaudible]--Ade: So I just need to shade them directly to their faces? Because, I mean, I'm with that energy, it's just that--Zach: You should definitely shade people to their faces, just as a principle in life. Ade: So here's the thing. I struggle with that, because I would love to shade you in person and to your face and very loudly--well, no, that's not quite shade, that's just yelling--however, I also hold the sincere belief that I just work here. It is not my job to educate you about your silliness. So I don't know. There's, like, a spectrum of behavior, and I don't know how willing I am to invest time in raising adults. So I'm gonna continue struggling with that.Zach: I mean, I feel that. I feel that. See, I genuinely love my job. Like, I'm at a very unique place in my career. I love my job. I have a great relationship with all of--everybody in my practice. Like, I love my team, so, like, shout-out to them. And so I have no issue with letting people know that I have a podcast, plus this is a professional podcast. Like, we don't be talking crazy on here. We haven't even let any blop-blops--we haven't even let any blop-blops go.Ade: I hear you. I love my job as well, although on occasion I do sincerely doubt the judgment of some folks.Zach: That's real.Ade: So I don't know. I'm gonna struggle with that a little bit longer and let you know how I feel about it and if I'm deploying a--"Here's a link to my podcast," you know, in an email all thread.Zach: It's a good--it's also good for your personal brand. I mean, I think--you know, it's almost been a year since we've been out. I feel like it's about time you let people know you're on a podcast.Ade: Very true point.Zach: You know what I'm saying? We were in the middle of these shout-outs. Oh, right, so Favorite Things. So my Favorite Thing right now has to be Desus and Mero on Showtime, okay? So, you know, there are a few things that give me inspiration and joy at the same time, and Desus and Mero happen to be one of 'em. I love their style. I love their content. It's super funny, very engaging, and it has a certain level of just comedic timing that I aspire to have. They're wonderful. So I love their show. This is not a paid promo ad. I don't even think we have enough juice to get ad space for Desus and Mero.Ade: No, no, no. Retract that energy right now. Retract it. Retract it.Zach: Yeah, right. I'm gonna take it back, I'm gonna take it back and add a "yerrrrrp" instead. [laughs]Ade: That's how you do it. Yep.Zach: Yes, but--but no, I really enjoy their content, so shout-out to them. And that really leads me to my question before we get into the wrap-up. Do you think we should have, like, some A.K.A.s on the show? Like, not the sorority. Shout-out to y'all, though. [inaudible].Ade: I really was about to be like, "Excuse me?"Zach: No, no, no. Like, A.K.A.s, like, "Zach Nunn, A.K.A. So-and-so, A.K.A. That Guy, A.K.A. Mr. Such-and-such, A.K.A.--"Ade: A.K.A. ZMX?Zach: A.K.A. ZMX, A.K.A. "per my last email," A.K.A. CC Your Boss, CC Your Manager. My wife's looking at me and saying, "No, don't do any of that."Ade: I--yes, I really was about to be like, "Hm, this could escalate very, very quickly, and the only A.K.A. that I am known for is not work-appropriate," so I'm just gonna move on.Zach: [laughs] Yeah, [inaudible] said no.Ade: I'm standing in my truth. I'm sitting. I'm sitting in my truth.Zach: My wife took her laptop, moved it off of her lap to her side, and then moved her head from the left to the right to the left again, to the right again, and then back to the left to tell me no. Okay.Ade: She's a wise woman.Zach: She is.Ade: We have been rambling for so long.Zach: We have, but, you know, this is actually part of our podcast. You know, people--y'all have been saying that we're not--you know, sometimes we come across a little too scripted. Look, we've been kicking it this episode. If y'all like--if y'all kick it with us--you know, actually, this is the last thing before we go. You know how, like, every podcast and/or, like, artist, group, they have something that they call their fans? Like, Beyonce has the Beyhive, right? Like, Rihanna--BTS has, their fans call themselves "The Army." Like, should we have--should we have any type of--Ade: An employee resource group? Sure.Zach: No, no. What we call our fans. You think we should call them an employee resource group? That'd be super funny. No, they have to give themselves an--you know, something like "our Living Corporaters," you know what I'm saying? It has to be something where you give them, like, a name. There has to be a name.Ade: I don't--Zach: Right? So, like, I'm pretty sure--Ade: Let's think through this. Y'all send us some suggestions.Zach: We've gotta think through it, right? Yeah, y'all send us some suggestions. Like, what do y'all want to be called? Y'all can't be called "the Living Corporate hive." That's mad corny. Can't be called the LCers, 'cause that's--again, it's cheesy. But I don't know. Like, we should think about something. I don't know. It'd be funny, like, if we ever had, like, a live podcast and, like, people subscribed in the middle of our podcast, if the noise was [makes noises] "Hi, who just joined?" That would be funny. [laughs]Ade: All right, it's past your bedtime.Zach: It's time to go. It's time to go, y'all. All right, thank y'all for listening to the Living Corporate podcast. You can check us out on everything. We're everywhere. Just Google us, Living Corporate. Check us out on Instagram @LivingCorporate, check us out on Twitter @LivingCorp_Pod. Make sure you check out all of our blogging content, 'cause we have blogs, and we have some new stuff coming. That'll be coming--fresh announcement, independent announcement coming soon on living-corporate.com, please state the dash, or livingcorporate.co or livingcorporate.org or livingcorporate.net. We have all the livingcorporates except livingcorporate.com. Y'all should know this by now because Australia owns livingcorporate.com. Somebody write a note to Australia. Let them know to stop hating. Ade: A strongly-worded letter.Zach: A strongly-worded letter, right? But they're not even doing the aboriginals right, so they definitely not gonna do us right, huh, Ade?Ade: I mean, no. Zach: No, they're not. Dang, we just put some aboriginal commentary in the end of a Living Corporate podcast episode. But I mean it, y'all need to do right by the aboriginals, and frankly y'all need to do right by us and give us the livingcorporate.com domain. I'm tired of it. We've talked about this for a whole 3 or 4 months. Consider this though a strongly-worded note, a message, okay? We do need the domain. I'm terrified to ask how much money it would cost. I have no idea. I have no idea how much money it would cost.Ade: I--I just--all right. Goodnight, bruh.Zach: Thank y'all for listening to the Living Corporate podcast. This has been Zach.Ade: This has been Ade.Zach: Peace.Ade: Peace.

Aunt Vi, the matriarch of the family on Ava DuVernay's Queen Sugar, knows her way around a kitchen. Not only can she cook, but she bakes a mean pie -- a skill that becomes a side business. Aunt Vi's pies became like a character unto themselves. She's in sort of a second act in her life, finding love again after an abusive relationship. Dr. Tanisha Ford is an associate professor of Black American Studies and History at the University of Delaware -- and a huge Queen Sugar fan. She says Aunt Vi's story line started her thinking about what pie making has meant for black women, and what it means for a woman like Aunt Vi in particular. She joins us this week to talk about how food is central to how we understand community, and how Queen Sugar uses food as a way to have deeper political conversations about capitalism and appropriation.

Hosts, Shaka Smith, Takira Shabrae’, Candi Marie, and Celi Chapman talk Ralph Angel’s mediation with Darla, Charlie’s confrontation with Micah, and the Landry’s prison plan rolling forward with guest, Tina Lifford who play’s the Bordelon matriarch, Aunt Vi. RSS Feed: http://www.afterbuzztv.com/aftershows/queen-sugar-afterbuzz-tv-aftershow/feed/ The Queen Sugar After Show: Enter the complicated life of the Bordelon siblings in Louisiana after a tragedy happens in the family. In our QUEEN SUGAR AFTER SHOW we discuss how they move past the tragedy in order to take care of their struggling sugar cane farm. Tune in here for reviews, recaps and in-depth discussions of the latest episodes, as well as the insider scoop from cast and crew members on the show. ABOUT QUEEN SUGAR: "Queen Sugar" tells the story of the estranged Bordelon siblings in Louisiana. At the center of the family are Nova, a journalist and activist; Charley, --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week’s hosts Shaka Smith, Candi Marie and Takira Shabrae break down episode 7, “Study War No More”. The discussion follows, Aunt Vi’s 60th birthday party, the Landry’s sinister plan, and more family secrets that rock the Bordelon clan. RSS Feed: http://www.afterbuzztv.com/aftershows/queen-sugar-afterbuzz-tv-aftershow/feed/ The Queen Sugar After Show: Enter the complicated life of the Bordelon siblings in Louisiana after a tragedy happens in the family. In our QUEEN SUGAR AFTER SHOW we discuss how they move past the tragedy in order to take care of their struggling sugar cane farm. Tune in here for reviews, recaps and in-depth discussions of the latest episodes, as well as the insider scoop from cast and crew members on the show. ABOUT QUEEN SUGAR: "Queen Sugar" tells the story of the estranged Bordelon siblings in Louisiana. At the center of the family are Nova, a journalist and activist; Charley, the wife and man --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

We’re BACK for Season 2!!!! Jasmine chats with Tina Lifford, Aunt Vi from Queen Sugar about her two passions, acting and The Inner Fitness Project. Listen to learn how you can transform your life from one of survival to THRIVING! 

The Fall season is already delivering on its promise of bringing us prestige, platinum perfect pop culture and we're all over it! First up, Sean reviews the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery while teaching Amita some Trek etiquette in the process. Then, Amita talks about the special screening of Battle of the Sexes she attended, which has made her a huge fan of one of the legends of tennis (Billie Jean IS her girl!). Plus, we’re ecstatic to share our interview with Queen Sugar Producing Director, Kat Candler about her work on Ava DuVernay's acclaimed series. Kat discusses the experience of working with an all female directing crew; the job of helping multiple creative visions coalesce into one consistent series; and the indie film vibe that  permeates the set. Sadly, Kat refused our pleas to reassure us that Aunt Vi is going to be okay. This is an illuminating discussion on what goes into creating one of the great shows on TV right now and the perfect thing to listen to for Queen Sugar fans (like ourselves) who are excited for the show’s mid season premiere on Tuesday, October 3rd. But have no fear  - - our discussion is spoiler free! Sean also shares details about seeing Queen Sugar on the big screen and the Bordelon siblings in the flesh at the Tribeca TV Festival. Also, the Big Sell 30 Day Challenge - #BigSell30 -  begins October 1st. Listen to hear how you can participate in the pop culture event guaranteed to fill your brain with the very best TV, music, film, comics and more! And in this week’s Big Sell, Amita rates Haaz Sleiman’s coming out video. For weeks Sean has been unendingly intrigued by the unconventional way the actor (Nurse Jackie, The Visitor) announced his sexuality to the world. But how does Amita feel? And finally, in the spirit of paying tribute -  Amita Big Sells Sean an album by the recently deceased musician Charles Bradley. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @PopInsiders You can also find us at MaximumFun.org And visit our official site at www.insidepoppodcast.com  

Its good to be back with you today. How many of you watch The Apprentice? Anybody watch that reality show with Donald Trump? Have you seen that? Okay, not too many Apprentice fans. I happen to be someone who has watched that show in the past-not every season-but several of the seasons, especially that first year. Ive always been intrigued by Donald Trump and his success. I remember reading The Art of the Deal, so I really wanted to watch that first reality show when the contestants came on and competed for a job; and every week, somebody was fired. Youre fired! is the famous expression. The first season we were watching, they announced they were going to build a skyscraper, a Trump hotel in Chicago that would be the tallest building in the world. Now they scaled that back after 9-11, but it still ended up being 93 stories tall, something like that. The children would say, Can we stay at the Trump Tower? Can we stay at the Trump Tower? Is it done yet? Id say, No, its not done. Someday… So finally, I said Ill check on it for you because they would ask almost every summer, Can we stay at Trump Tower? It was done, and I said, Okay, this summer were going to stay one night. Dont get used to it. I mean normally a hotel for us is just a place to hang the hat. It doesnt have to be fancy. Were just going to sleep there-crash and unwind a little bit. I said, But if were going to go to Trump Tower, then that becomes our event. When its time to check in, were going to stay there until its time to check out. Were going to soak everything we can out of this experience because its going to set Mom and Dad back a little bit, so we did that. We stayed there. We felt a little bit like a fish out of water-a lot of hoity toity types there. We had the meal there, and of course you had to dress up. You never really felt comfortable. It was kind of a formal dining experience. It made us want to go back to a regular restaurant and just get a cheeseburger or something. You have stuff on your plate, its really small, and you dont know what it is; but it tastes good. Even after they tell you what it is, you dont know what it is; but we had a lovely experience. We watched the fireworks at Navy Pier from our room, and we just had this beautiful view of the skyscrapers, the Wrigley building, the Tribune building, and then the Chicago River ran right underneath us. We saw Lake Michigan, and it was just gorgeous. We had a good time. We really took it all in, but one of the painful experiences for me was when it was time to go and we had to exit. I didnt think this through because the valet goes to get your car, and its like a show. There are people walking around, other patrons there, and youre like, Oh, what car is going to drive up next? Here comes a Rolls Royce, oh! Here comes a Bentley, oh! Here comes a brand new Mercedes, oh! A brand new Jag convertible, oh! Here comes Pastor Jeffs 2002 Toyota. Thats not my car! What is this? Whered my car go? (Congregation laughing). I had to tell the valet, and he doesnt hear this every day, but I had to say, Yeah, when you start the car, you have to put it in neutral for a few seconds. Then put it in drive. My son was like, Im out of here. They were like, Can you just pick us up down the block, so nobody knows were associated with you? But its my car. Its a decent car, but all of the sudden I found myself ashamed of my car because of all these fancy wheels that were going by. On our last day, we said, Hey, were Cubs fans. Lets go to Harry Carays and get a burger. So we were walking around the streets killing time, and we see what says, The Chicago walk. Its down by the Chicago River, so you go down some steps [to get to it]. I said, It sounds good. Lets go on the Chicago walk, so we went on the Chicago walk; and immediately we realized what we had done. There was a sense of regret for the decision that wed made because we were walking through what was a place where homeless people stayed. We didnt realize that at the time. There was a stench of urine that greeted you. Rather than being the scenic experience, you felt like you were intruding by going through somebodys privacy, their bedroom. There was a man under a tarp that was just waking up. You just felt bad. He said, Well, you shouldnt have come down here. Brenda was like, Well, we didnt know that was the case. We went up the steps, and as you went up the steps, the first thing you saw was the Trump Tower, this opulent structure that stands for prosperity and this real estate mogul-this expensive place where we had stayed that night. In juxtaposition with just a matter of feet away from this luxury hotel were these men living in a community under the bridge. I thought about the contrast between the rich and the poor, and Im certainly not rich; but rich is a very relative term, isnt it? To the men living under the bridge, our family probably seemed rich. We had decent clothes. We werent worried about our meal or where we were going to stay that night. We had a car to drive. Compared to them, we were rich; but compared to most of fellow Trumpers at the hotel, we werent rich. I dont know how much it showed, but we were just common middle-class folks trying to see how the other half lived for one night. Most of those patrons-even though they were pretty well off-most of them are poor compared to Donald Trump himself, if you were to compare their wealth to the Trumpster. Yet, you compare Donald Trumps wealth to someone like Warren Buffett or Bill Gates, and he doesnt seem so rich anymore. Rich is a relative term, and James is going to contrast the rich and the poor for us this morning; so lets take a look at James 1 as we continue to go through this Book together. We call it the Gospel According to Jim. Jim, of course, is the informal name for James; and even though this is the Book of James, James has a rather informal style. He is kind of a laid-back, sitting on the porch swing, sipping on a lemonade, man of wisdom who just drops these nuggets-this knowledge just oozes from them. He just sits back and he talks about life; and you just take it in. That's the feel we have when we read the Book of James. Were going through it chapter by chapter, verse by verse; and I believe Pastor Jerry left off last week with Verse 8. Verse 9 (page 1196 of pew Bibles), The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position… Right away, James does what James always does. His statements are very shocking at face value. They almost seem the reverse of what they should be. Its like the woman in the meeting who talked about us being the safest, most secure, wealthiest nation, which puts us at a serious (pause) disadvantage. It puts us at a disadvantage. James says, The brother who is poor should take pride in his high position. The one who is rich should take pride in his low position. James, didnt you get that backwards? Isnt that a typo? What hes going to explain to us here is the Gospel has a different meaning to different segments of society. Its the same Gospel; its the same message, but who we are sharing it with has a different impact upon them. I want you to notice that he is speaking here to Christians. He says, The brother… His audience is believers. Hes not speaking in a generic sense to all rich and to all poor. He is speaking to those who are rich who come to the faith and those who are poor who come to the faith. He talked about speaking to the Diaspora, the scattered believers in the very beginning of his Book-believers who have been scattered for a number of different reasons. This Verse is similar to a Verse in 1 Corinthians 7:22 (page 1122 of pew Bibles), if we could just put that Verse on the wall. It says, For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lords freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christs slave. So the Gospel to the slaves said, Look, youre a slave, but, you know what? In Christ, youre free. In Christ, you need to know you matter to God, that you have just as much significance as the rich man. In fact, it was not uncommon in the days of the church for a slave to be an elder and to lead a congregation that his master was a member of; and at the church, it was the slave who was in authority over his master. That was not an uncommon scenario at all. So he is saying to the slave-hes lifting up the slave and saying, Theres not slave nor free. We are one in Christ. Then he speaks to the wealthy, to the free; and he says, Look, you are Christs slave. You are doulos. You are a bondservant. You are the property of the Master. You who are masters, you have a Master that owns you that you are subject to. So we have the same Gospel, but a very different presentation, depending on who the target audience is. James says, Likewise, the same thing is true to the poor. To the poor who come to Christ, he says, Listen, you who are poor, you are rich. You have been redeemed. You have been purchased by Christ. You matter to God. You might feel like you dont have significance. You might feel like you dont matter very much, but you matter. You matter to God more than youll ever know. Rejoice that God has exalted you. He has lifted you up. You are spiritually rich. Your sins are forgiven. You have an inheritance in Heaven. You are a son or a daughter of God, and you who are poor rejoice in your high position. Know that you have significance; know that you have a purpose and that God loves you very much, so that message of the Gospel would lift up the poor. Thats the message I gave to the Haitian Church in the Dominican Republic and Pastor Jean because they look at the Americans, and they envy us. Theyre envious of our lifestyle, of our clothes, what we have. I get up there, and I share the Gospel, and say, You, tonight, are as rich as I. In fact, in your faith, you are richer than I am. In the message to the rich, the Gospel is very different because sometimes the rich can be pretty impressed with themselves, sometimes arrogant-not always; but sometimes they can say, Well, look. Look what Ive amassed. Look what Ive accumulated for myself. Look how well I have done for myself. Look how successful I am. Look at the Rolls Royce that I drive or the luxury penthouse I live in. Look at the size of my bank account, the number of properties I own, and they start looking at all these tangible earthly things; and they can get a little bit puffed up. James says, You know what? You are one heartbeat away from eternity. You are one breath away from eternity, just like the next guy. You are as dependent upon God as anybody else, and, One day, James says, youre going to pass away. Hes going to talk about that. He says, One day, youre going to pass away. Even Mr. Trump and his entire Trumpish splendor will one day pass away. His buildings are going to belong to somebody else. Theyll belong to his children and maybe their children; but somewhere along the line, its going to be sold. Right now the name Trump is on everything. You use Trump shampoo when you take a shower. You drink Trump water when you work out. Everythings Trump. Some day that name comes off the building; it comes off the brand. Theres going to be a generation that goes, Whos Trump? Isnt that something in cards? Those buildings will belong to somebody else, or those buildings may even get torn down. He says, All that stuff passes away, so he reminds the rich of their humble position. You are as dependent upon God as the next person. What you have is fleeting. Life is fleeting. Be aware of that. Be mindful of that-that you belong to God and what you have belongs to God. So the Gospel is a humbling message to the rich. He goes on and says in the rest of Verse 10, …because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. He talks here about life and the toll it takes on all of us, the wind that beats against us, and the sun that is relentless. To me, that testifies of the relentlessness of life, the trials and the hardships that we face that take their toll on us- they mentally, physically, and emotionally beat down upon us. Then I think about the withering and losing of our beauty. He talks about the appearance because we are the plants in this analogy. I think about aging. You might live a healthy life, and I dont care if you have the finest doctors and you eat the best diet, youre going to age. Youre going to grow old, and youre going to die one way or another. Thats the reality of it. That really hit home for me this weekend. Some of you know my aunt has been ill, and she passed away. Yesterday, I was able to do her memorial service; so following the funeral, we went to the house for a reception. I watched a media that my cousin had put together. It was a panorama of Aunt Vis life from a young girl all the way through until recently. It really is quite an eye-opening experience when you can see this panorama view of a life during the course of five minutes as the song played. At the beginning of the song, I seen her as a young teenager; and she is vibrant. She was just bubbly and giddy anyway, so I can just imagine her… In all these pictures, she is laughing. Shes teasing somebody. Shes enjoying life. I see her with my dad; I see her with my grandma. I see her enjoying life, and then I see her as a woman who started to date. I see Uncle Bob, but I dont see Uncle Bobs tummy. Its not there. I had never seen him without a tummy before, and he had a full head of hair. How about that? I dont remember that either. I watched them begin to court, and I could see in these photographs their romance bud and their love bloom in their lives. Then I saw shots of her as a radiant bride in a beautiful white dress. She had a bouquet of roses, and she was smiling. She was vivacious and life was ahead of her. I saw them as newlyweds. They bought this house in Rockford that I had spent many days in. I watched as construction went up, and I saw the life that they lived together. Then as the media goes on, I see them start to age. I see Violas hairdo change. I see her face get a little rounder. I see her clothing get a little looser. I see Uncle Bobs tummy return. I see his hairline recede. I watched them as middle age set in, and I saw Aunt Vi. I said, Thats the one I remember. Thats the Uncle Bob I remember. Then I watch them age, and I see them in their retirement years. Then I see her alone. I then see her hair become grey, and I see wrinkles appear. Then I see the onslaught of the cancer, and I see that once optimistic face have a look of fear, concern, and then confusion. I watched that expression change, and then I seen her shortly before she passed away. The song ended there. There is something about seeing that panorama that makes it a very sobering experience, and it gets you to think. Even as I left that reception, I pulled off to a restaurant to gather my thoughts for this weekend some more and to kinda make sure I knew where I was going. I prayed a little bit, and I plugged in that media into my computer and watched it one more time. I let those images sink in. I pulled out pictures of myself that she had. This one shows me 40 years ago. This one shows me 30 years ago. This one shows me 10 years ago, and I see that in myself. I recognize that we are all passing through life. James reminds his audience of that. He says, Were going to fade like the flowers. The beauty is going to wane. Life will take its toll. In the same way, he says, …the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business, even while hes busy living life, he will fade away. That reminds me of a parable in the Gospel of Luke 12 that Jesus told. Sometimes Jesus parables are hard to understand. Sometimes we really have to dig to get the meaning, but this is not one of them. This is a very straight forward parable. In Verse 16 (page 1031 of pew Bibles), he tells us about a rich man. …The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, What shall I do? Notice, thats important-the ground of the man produced a good crop. This man would not have success if it not for what God had provided. He might have been a great farmer, but he isnt going to be able to make his own dirt, is he? The ground of a certain man… The rain, the sun, the ground, the seed-everything that God had provided produced a good crop. He was simply a steward of what God had provided. Verse 17, He thought to himself, What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. He was so successful, so blessed, that he did not have the room to store them. Verse 18, Then he said, This is what Ill do. I will downsize, I will sell off some of my land. I will be content with what I have because what I have is enough for me. Thats not what he says. He says, …This is what I will do. I will continue to have abundance, but I will give away my excess. I will live on what I need, and I will give what I dont need to those who are less fortunate. Im going to bless the work of the Kingdom, Im going to bless the widow and the orphan, and Im going to help those in need around me. Does he say that? He doesnt say that. He says, heres my solution, …I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And Ill say to myself, You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry. Its time to retire. Youve worked hard. Youve amassed this fortune, all this stuff; and Im going to build bigger barns so I can retain it all for me. Im going to kick back, relax, and forget the world. Im going to enjoy my twilight years, enjoy the fruits of my labor. [Nope], God has other plans. Verse 20, …God said to him, You fool! Fool means someone who lives as though there is no God, lives with no moral compass. This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you prepared for yourself? Then Jesus gives His sobering admonition. He says, This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God. Does Jesus condemn the man for being rich? Does he condemn him for being successful? Does He say, Its wrong for you to have resources? Its wrong for you to have an abundance. Does He say that? What is he condemned for? Number one, he is arrogant. He is called a fool because he is self-absorbed. He gives no regard for God, spiritual things, or his fellow man. He is arrogant and prideful. He assumes tomorrow will be there. Secondly, he is self-centered. He is only consumed with his needs and his situation. Jesus does not condemn him for having the means. We said rich is a relative term. All of us in the eyes of the world are rich. Every person in this room is rich in the eyes of the world. If you go to a country where they dont know what theyre going to eat-theyre going to die. They have no medical treatment at all, nothing to really wear, [youd see that] were rich. But its a person who has an abundance and has put their trust in that abundance, put that trust in themselves, and has become stingy towards God and stingy toward their fellow man, these are the people that James is warning here. These are the people who have become careless and put their trust in the wrong place. My family and I went to a church called Willow Creek last Sunday. Some of you have heard of Willow Creek Community Church. Its a church thats significant because it started a movement. Its not just a large church-it started a movement: the contemporary church movement-that was started back in the 70s in a suburb of Chicago that met in a theater called Willow Creek. I can remember being at Trinity and some of my friends saying, Hey, theres this new church. It started in a theater. Its called Willow Creek, and they have drama, contemporary music, and media. I was like, In church? Yeah. Thats crazy! You want to come? Nah. I dont think so. I have a church, so I could have been there like in the very beginning; but I chose not to. But at Trinity College, a young student named Bill Hybels was listening to a lecture by Dr. Bilezikian. He was vision-casting about what the church could be and should be. He caught that vision, and he started this church by selling tomatoes in this affluent suburb of Chicago. That community was just getting ready to explode. It exploded, and the church exploded because they were meeting a need. They would ask, Why dont you go to church? People would say, We dont go to church because its a fashion show. We dont go to church because they always want money. We dont go to church because its boring. So he said, Well, lets start a church where we dont make big appeals for money, we dont dress up-we come casually, and where we heed the Gospel. We dont compromise the Gospel, but we use the arts and other things to make it interesting and not boring. This church exploded, and it became the largest church in America. In fact, it was the largest church in the Western Hemisphere. Now Pastor Osteens church in Texas is the largest church, but its probably still in the top three. Its humongous! They just built a 7,000 seat auditorium. When our family came, we wanted to sit up on top, so we got on the escalator. They were like, Were in an escalator in church. How weird is this? So we went up to the top, and there is this 7,000 seat auditorium that will be near full three times that weekend. This is, like I say, one of the largest churches in America. It has influenced tens of thousands of churches around the world and tens of thousands of pastors and leaders around the world. Theyre doing a tremendous work in missions, in evangelism, and in local domestic concerns; you name it, they are involved in it. I can remember back in the days when wed have leadership conferences I would go to, and thered be these time-out sessions where a small group of senior pastors would meet with Pastor Hybels. There would be 20 of us, 30 of us, in a small room for a Q&A and some one-on-one time with him. We would talk, and he would share stories. He reminded us-again, we were there-about how this place came to be and this facility that has been so influential came to be. God had put some people in that congregation who would say-unashamedly-that their goal was to make as much money as humanly possible. God had gifted them as businessmen to make money, and they would tell you unapologetically they wanted to make as much money as they could. The second part of that equation was they wanted to live on as little as they could. The third part of that equation was to fund the Gospel as much as they could, so these people in this congregation-and there were many of them, very successful in the eyes of the world-their goal, what really got them excited, what really tripped their trigger, was to be able to come to the pastor at tax time or whenever it was and say, How much, Pastor? How much do you need? Were building a building and writing six figure, seven figure checks to the church because they knew it was doing a good work, and they wanted to fund the Gospel; so that was their job. To some people, God tells them to sell their business, sell their house, and give it all to the poor. These people chose to live as humbly as they could but make as much money as they could to fund missions, to fund their local church and make a difference in the Kingdom. They didnt put their trust in themselves or their riches. They knew the source was God. God is not condemning those who have means or those who have resources here. God has gifted some of us to be able to do that. Im not one of them. Im just middle-class like most of us here, but some of us have that ability. James is saying, Listen-recognize who has blessed you. Make Gods priorities your priorities. It reminds me of a Passage in the Book of 2 Corinthians 8:9 (page 1146). Paul basically gives us the Gospel in one verse. He says, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. He wrote this to this church in Corinth that had been so generous to the church in Jerusalem with the giving of their resources. He said, You remind me of Jesus. He became poor that through His poverty or by means of His poverty, you might become rich. This verse is a testimony of the fact that salvation is not of ourselves. It is not something that we have earned; it is not something that we have manufactured or anything else. He doesnt say, Through your hard work, through your knowledge of the Scripture, through your Godliness and holiness, through your righteous living, you have become rich. No, he says it is through His poverty or by means of-this verb says-His poverty, through the efforts of someone else. What someone else has done, we have been blessed. We have been made rich. Thats the Gospel. It is not from you; it is all from Him. Salvation is entirely from Him. Did you hear the story about the man who was searching for coins, and he was on somebody elses property and doing one of those searches with a metal detector? Its dawning on me that I think I said that wrong all weekend (congregation laughing). Its going off, and hes looking for these coins. It goes off, so he says, I found something. I always thought that looked like fun. So he starts scratching around, and he finds a coin-an old coin, a Roman coin from the 300s. He didnt know it at the time; he just knew it looked old. He was like, Wow! He started digging and scratching, and he gets more. He digs and scratches more, and he finds more. Hes like, Wow! I need to get some help. He gets some help to excavate a little bit, and he unearths a treasure. They conservatively estimate the value at over a million dollars of old coins. Once he cleaned them off and polished them off, he had all these beautiful coins. They were worth over a million dollars. He was rich! He says to the owner of the land, Look, you allowed me permission to search on your property with my metal detector, and I have found a treasure chest. Its on your property, so were going to go halves. I take one gold coin; you take one gold coin, and were going to split this thing right down the middle. The property owner didnt know it was there, and he never would have known without this man; so by means of this man, his investment, his time, his knowledge, his efforts, his resources-by his means, this man benefited. He really didnt do anything. He just said, Yeah, sure. Go ahead. I dont even know if he knew he was out there. Maybe he didnt even know that, but he became blessed through the efforts and means of another, and that is the Gospel. We have become blessed because Christ invested in us, because He took the means to search us out and find us to redeem us. Through His poverty, through His incarnation, He left the splendor of Heaven to come to the manger, to come to earth-to be born to common parents and live as a common laborer. Through His poverty and His death upon the cross, His resurrection, you and I have become rich. We have an inheritance in Heaven. We have a Kingdom. We are sons and daughters of God. We have salvation that has been purchased through His blood. Thats what we come to remember as we reflect upon communion this morning. Im going to ask if our communion team would come at this time as we prepare our hearts and minds to receive the Lords Supper.