The Tragedy & Triumphs of Transformations With Wally B

Original Air Date: August 28, 2020

On this day, Jan 20th, we celebrate the life and achievements of Dr. King, and today on the podcast, I talk to Wally B., an ordained minister, spoken word artist, and the Founder and Executive Director of the Heard Em Say Youth Arts Collective. 

In this episode, Wally shares his reflections on MLK and the influence Dr. King had on his life.  We dig deep into Wally's journey of transitioning from being a full-time artist to founding his nonprofit back in May 2007 to cultivating Heard Em Say. We also talk about what ultimately led to his decision to transition out of the role of Executive Director and creating a succession plan so that he could continue to grow and serve the community.

You'll hear all about his conversations with God and with his leadership team, and how he redefined what it means to be an artist and a leader. You won't want to miss this episode. 

Heard ‘Em Say was created in May 2007 to identify, cultivate and empower youth in activism and advocacy through artistic education and expression.  The organization serves over 300 young people a year, providing a healthy social outlet for teens to express themselves through spoken word and performance.  His team has competed for years at Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival.

Support Heard Em Say and you can follow Wally on Facebook.

Check out past Wally B interviews here and here.

tomearl.me/wb

Listen to "The Tragedy & Triumphs of Transformations With Wally B" on Spreaker.

The More You Love Yourself… With Timothy Mays

Original Air Date: February 8, 2020

On this week’s podcast, I have the pleasure of speaking with Timothy Mays, an educator, artist, and published author. In our talk, we delved into what it means to experience love and relationships and to feel a sense of community. We peeled back the layers and expectations of what being a man means - in whatever variant identities you may have.

Timothy shared his experiences growing up and how he has witnessed marriages changing and evolving throughout the years. We also talked about Black History Month and about books that have transformed and impacted Timothy's life and my life as well. You will not want to miss this episode so you can hear Timothy's perspective on creating community and how men can transform their lives through the creation of community.

Timothy received his Master’s in Higher Education from Loyola University Chicago in 2016 and continues to dig deeper into his research around exoticism, disposability, and the healing of Black bodies.

As an Artist/Spoken Word poet, Timothy has competed in the National Poetry Slam, InkSlam, College and Universities Poetry Slam Invitational, and many other events.

He is now conducting spoken word and critical pedagogy workshops that give students and community members a space to develop their voices and materialize their thoughts.

Timothy recently released his first poetry and affirmation book entitled, “And Still I Rise to Fantasize” which attempts to channel Black resilience in the face of consistent trauma while having the unwavering courage to strive toward being holistically well.

Timothy has devoted himself to making sure that people from low-income communities are prepared for and comfortable with the possibility of advocating for themselves to ensure that a true sense of community is accomplished.

To find out more about Timothy, you can reach him on Instagram and on his website.

tomearl.me/myly

Listen to "The More You Love Yourself… With Timothy Mays" on Spreaker.

The Tragedy & Triumphs of Transformations with Wally B

On this day, Jan 20th, we celebrate the life and achievements of Dr. King and today on the podcast, I talk to Wally B., an ordained minister, spoken word artist, and the Founder and Executive Director of the Heard Em Say Youth Arts Collective. 

In this episode, Wally shares his reflections on MLK and the influence Dr. King had on his life.  We dig deep into Wally's journey of transitioning from being a full-time artist, to founding his nonprofit back in May 2007 to cultivating Heard Em Say. We also talk about what ultimately led to his decision to transition out of the role of Executive Director and creating a succession plan so that he could continue to grow and serve the community.

You'll hear all about his conversations with God and with his leadership team, and how he redefined what it means to be an artist and a leader. You won't want to miss this episode. 

Heard ‘Em Say was created in May 2007 to identify, cultivate and empower youth in activism and advocacy through artistic education and expression.  The organization serves over 300 young people a year, providing a healthy social outlet for teens to express themselves through spoken word and performance.  His team has competed for years at Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival.

Check out the show notes at www.tomearl.com/wally.  

You can support by visiting their website or Facebook.  

You can listen to past episodes here and here.

Listen to "The Tragedy & Triumphs of Transformations With Wally B" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

The Expression Session Origin Story #3YearAnniversary

On this week’s episode, I celebrate the 3 Year Anniversary of the Live and Online: Expression Session.  To mark this milestone, I’m taking us back to the first ever Expression Session episode, featuring Wally B. 

If you’re a regular listener, I’m guessing you’ve heard Wally and his nonprofit Heard Em Say mentioned many times.  This is the interview I did with him back in July 2016. 

Wally B. is an ordained minister, spoken word artist, and the Founder and Executive Director of the Heard Em Say Youth Arts Collective.   “Heard ‘Em Say” was created in May 2007 to identify, cultivate and empower youth in activism and advocacy through artistic education and expression.  His team has competed for years at Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival..

Hosting the Live and Online: Expression Session over these past 3 years has been such an amazing and wonderful journey.  I am grateful to the many different artists, creatives, features, and people who have participated and created with me during each month’s Expression Session. 

I hope you’ll be able to join us this Sunday and celebrate our 3 Year Anniversary.   The Live and Online: Expression is this Sunday, July 28th from 12 PM - 2 PM PT. 

To support Heard Em Say and help send their team to Brave New Voices, you can learn more and donate here - http://heardemsay.org/. 

Listen to "The Expression Session Origin Story #3YearAnniversary" on Spreaker.

Walli B will be our feature on this week's edition of the Live and Online: Expression Session.  Register below! 

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.