Better Said Than Written

This episode is for anyone navigating visibility, relevance, and self-worth in the workplace as time moves forward. Maybe you’ve noticed the subtle shifts. The comments that land differently. The unspoken expectations about how you should look, sound, or show up. Maybe you’ve questioned whether experience still counts the way it used to, or whether aging has quietly become something you’re expected to manage, conceal, or apologize for. This episode features a powerful Social Media Essay by performance coach Melanie Cheeseman, who writes candidly about gray hair, gendered double standards, and what women are told to surrender as they grow older. At the center of it all is this reminder: “Wisdom. Experience. Confidence. These are things we gain, not lose, with time.” If the world has ever made you feel otherwise, I hope this episode offers a pause and a reframing. If you’re holding on to your grey or covering it up, if you’re negotiating what aging looks like in your work life, or if you’re simply sitting with these questions, you’re not alone. Want to connect? Want to share a Social Media Essay that deserves to be heard? -> tamikacody.com/contact

In this episode of Better Said Than Written, host Tamika Cody reflects on a single line that stopped her in her tracks: “There are two sources of goals: goals created out of inspiration and goals created out of desperation.” The quote comes from chapter nine of Don't Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen, a book that gained widespread attention in 2024. What begins as a quiet reflection turns personal. Tamika revisits a vulnerable journal entry she once shared publicly, recorded just weeks before losing her dream job. In hindsight, she recognizes how desperation shaped the goals she was holding onto and how clarity arrived not through achievement, but through release. This episode invites you to pause and answer the following question honestly: Are the goals you’re chasing rooted in inspiration, or in fear? Feel free to reach out with your answers. https://www.tamikacody.com/contact

In the previous episode; Not Grieving, Just Noticing, Tamika shared the complicated story of her father, SD, and what it means to hold space for someone who was never really there. But two weeks later, while watching his funeral streamed from Dominica, something shifted. As she studied the faces of family in the front pews, Tamika couldn’t see herself in them, and an instinct told her to search deeper. Against her siblings’ advice, she ordered a DNA test. What she found cracked her story wide open: the truth of her real father, hidden for decades by a single misread letter. This episode traces the journey from a funeral livestream to a DNA match that changed everything, guided by the words of James Baldwin: “Know from whence you came. If you know whence you came, there are absolutely no limitations to where you can go.” SHOW NOTES Share Your Thoughts: If this episode resonated with you: You can share your thoughts here → www.tamikacody.com/contact Or leave a voice message or send a text to 2O2.57O.4554 Follow or tag Tamika on Substack via https://thejournalistwhocooks.substack.com You can also find her on Twitter: @tamikacody

How do you feel about second chances? How do you feel about starting over? Maybe you had a dream to become a veterinarian. Or a goal to start a nonprofit. Maybe you have always wanted to travel outside of the country. I’m sure there’s something that once made your heart race just thinking about it. But just like everyone else, life happened. Doubt crept in. And that dream was placed on the back burner, got buried under the weight of “what-ifs” and “maybe laters,” or worse…you threw your dreams away because someone said they were unrealistic. If that sounds like you, I want you to write down this following quote from George Eliot: “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” – Want to connect? Want to be a guest on the show? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to StoriesOfSurvivalEntry@gmail.com Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072

Every once in a while, I come across a speech that inspires me to take action. The other day, while scrolling on TikTok, I stumbled on a speech by Rolonda Watts. For those of you who don’t know, Rolonda had her own talk show back in the mid 1990s. The syndicated show ran from 1994 until 1997. Now I must admit, at first glance I didn’t recognize the face but the voice, I definitely knew. After consulting with Google, I quickly paired the voice to the face I finally remembered. This entire discovery is actually quite ironic because in her speech, Rolonda briefly shared that she herself has gone through several reinventions. But the part that got me in my feelings is when she gave this simple advice, “if you don’t like something change it.” – Want to connect? Want to be a guest on the show? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to StoriesOfSurvivalEntry@gmail.com Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072

For this episode, I’d like to share an excerpt from a sermon. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines sermon as a “religious discourse delivered in public usually by a member of the clergy as a part of a worship service.” Usually, sermons are paired with a life lesson and a passage from religious scriptures from books like the Holy Bible, the Quran, the Torah, etc. Now depending on where you are in life, when you hear or read that pairing of a life lesson and religious scripture, it seems like that sermon was meant specifically for you. The title of the sermon I recently heard, the one that inspired me to hop on the mic and press record for this episode – Know your role. — Want to connect? Want to be a guest on the show? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to StoriesOfSurvivalEntry@gmail.com Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072

This episode is for those who’ve stopped pursuing a dream. Or maybe you never had the courage or support to dream. Or maybe fear is holding you back from imagining what’s possible. Langston Hughes once said, “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” A broken-winged bird that cannot fly. They are stuck. Grounded. Wishing they could soar. That’s a pretty vivid analogy of a person who lost the hope to dream. Here’s what I know…you can dream again. And for those who never ‘dreamed’ it’s never too late to start. So, why do we stop dreaming? For some of us, it’s fear. Fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of the unknown. For others, it’s disappointment. Maybe you chased a dream once, and it didn’t work out. You got hurt, and now you think, “What’s the point?” — Want to connect? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to StoriesOfSurvivalEntry@gmail.com. Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072

Welcome to "Better Said Than Written," the podcast that shares inspirational excerpts from books, essays, poems, and quotes that, when read aloud, just sound better said than written. For this episode I would like to touch on one of life’s most profound truths: “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” That timeless quote comes from Confucius, and it’s a reminder we all need, especially in moments when life deals us a bad hand at the poker table. Like many of you listening, there have been times in my life when I’ve felt like I couldn’t get back up from a catastrophic fall. And not just any fall. I’m talking about a fall into a deep hole where there was nothing but darkness. I was buried under a thick blanket of uncertainty, and fertilized with fear. The fall was so bad, it felt like I didn’t have enough strength to pull myself up out of the bottomless pit. Afraid of lifting my head and facing my peers in public. Have you been there? Maybe you’re there right now. If you are, you’re not alone. Want to connect? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to StoriesOfSurvivalEntry@gmail.com. Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072

Welcome to "Better Said Than Written," the podcast that shares inspirational excerpts from books, essays, poems, and quotes that, when read aloud, just sound better said than written. Today’s excerpt comes from Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist: “The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” This episode is all about starting fresh. We made it to another year. And with every new year many of us set resolutions or goals for ourselves. Some of the most popular ones are getting back into shape, saving money, traveling, disconnecting from social media, working on a passion project or jumping ship into a new career. By the time you hear this episode the second Friday of the new year has come and gone. It’s a day referred to as Quitter’s Day. Research shows it’s the day most people give up on their new year’s resolutions. Maybe you’re one of those people who quit? I am not here to judge, I'm only here to let you know that giving up on your new year's resolution is not the end of the world. Want to connect? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to StoriesOfSurvivalEntry@gmail.com. Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072

Welcome to "Better Said Than Written," the podcast that shares inspirational excerpts from books, essays, poems, and quotes that, when read aloud, just sound better said than written. For the revamp, and return of Better Said Than Written, I plan to share stories from or about people who overcame difficult challenges in their lives … Stories of Survival. The goal… to help others who may be going through struggles of their own. Some people are strategically looking for inspiration and or a blueprint on how they can move forward in their life’s journey. Take a moment to think about it. As we navigate through this thing called life, there are moments we just don’t know what to do. No matter how much we consult our friends, family or therapist, Google, or ask ChatGPT for advice, its the real life stories from strangers that helps us get through troubled times. Single parenting, loss of a job, self doubt, procrastination, managing life before during and after a divorce, financial mishaps, loss of a loved one, falling in and out of love, homelessness, managing anxiety, keeping intrusive thoughts at bay…you get the point. All of the above, I’ve dealt with at some point in my life…and I’m still here. I survived even when I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. What helped me get through? Reading memoirs, watching documentaries, and pausing my scroll to listen to those who had the courage to share their stories of survival on social media. To kick this series off, I intended to share one peg of my survival story with you, but a headline from the Los Angeles Times that stopped me dead in my tracks. Molly Wadzeck Kraus, published a personal story where she shared how a cooking show saved her from anorexia and depression. While reading through the piece, I thought “now this is the perfect for S-O-S…stories of survival.” The show - Barefoot Contessa. The headline - How Ina Garten Changed my Life. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES If you have a story of survival to share, email your entry to StoriesOfSurvivalEntry@gmail.com. Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072.

The following reading comes from the book ‘Steal Like an Artist - 10 things nobody told you about being creative’ - by Austin Kleon.

When the coronavirus pandemic forced nearly everyone to isolate, shelter in place, limit social gathering, work from home, the extra downtime gave a lot of people time to think. To think of what’s next for their lives. To think about that next opportunity. That next idea. And people were definitely putting their thoughts into action. The Census Bureau reported that in 2020, more than 4 million new businesses were created in the United States - the highest the country has on record. Before the pandemic people would attend networking events and industry conferences where they would share their goals, ideals, and aspirations in hopes to find the perfect window of opportunity to take the big leap. By mid-March 2020, in-person networking came to a screeching halt. But that didn’t stop Kieta Rivens founder of the natural hair care company, Verified Beauty. In 2020, Essence magazine reported that Black consumers are making the switch from general products to those that specifically cater to them. As a result, the Black hair care industry in the United States pulled in nearly $2 billion in 2018. Kieta, who is a mother, wife, and a full-time lead infant teacher in North Carolina, launched her company in the midst of the pandemic. In this episode, Kieta shares how she knocked on virtual doors to spread the word of her new business, and the one affirmation that kept her going. You can find Kieta spreading the word about her business at the following: Website: https://verifiedbeautyllc.com/ Instagram: @verifiedbeautyllc Facebook: Verified Beauty LLC Customer Service: 704.840.2219