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.

Working With Intention With Melissa Denizard

On this week's episode, I talk to Melissa Denizard, a native of Haiti, who is a 20-year-old activist, documentarian, and senior at Babson College.    She shares the challenges of being an activist and an organizer and we talk about vulnerability and feeling comfort in discomfort as well as the loneliness epidemic that is facing so many young people.

As an activist, Melissa uses her many talents, including public speaking, film, and the written word, to bring attention to the intersections of race, gender, and social class in the United States’ political framework. 

Melissa runs a blog that focuses on the intersection of race, gender, and social class in pop culture and politics. In 2018, her YouTube video, Unbraid with Me: Is Hair Political? was featured on Brut Media and Refinery29. Later that year, her blog post, "Don't Tell Me to Smile: A Commentary on Harassment in the Service Industry" was adapted into a TEDx talk for TEDxTarrytown.

As an alumna of the Young People For Fellowship, Melissa had the opportunity to expand upon her technological social venture Voice, which is an online platform for contemporary activists that aims to make digital organizing more accessible and efficient.. Partnered with Babson College, Melissa is also currently creating an initiative that will aim to help Flint, MI's entrepreneurs cultivate entrepreneurial skills to build wealth that will accumulate to help the city eventually emerge out of both the Flint Water Crisis and decades of poverty.

You won't want to miss her honest self-reflection on growth and self-care and her insights on the ways we can use pop culture to analyze race, gender and cultural clashes.

Listen to "Working With Intention with Melissa Denizard" on Spreaker.

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

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.