"So...Here's the thing..."

Welcome to Season 2 of "So...Here's the thing...". I'm thrilled to announce the addition of my new co-host (and longtime friend), Charmaine, to the podcast.  In our second season, we thought it would be particularly enlightening (sometimes fun, sometimes sad) to discuss the joys, challenges, triumphs and sorrows of being Black in America today. We welcome you to the table to listen and hear us as "four grown Black folks just talking" over the course of the next several episodes. We are very proud of the depth and honesty that these conversations have brought to us and we hope that these discussions can provide a template for other people (Black or otherwise) to "start the conversation".  The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to our guests, and not necessarily to the co-hosts (jointly or severally), any other Black or BIPOC individual or the entire Black American community as a whole.  Thanks for listening and enjoy. 

Thanks for tuning in! I've received so much great feedback about the content of these episodes so far and I know I have a long way to go but I appreciate your support. I try to come to these topics from a place of curiosity, wonder, genuine positive intent and desire to move, touch and inspire others to grow and share their lived experiences with each other.  In part 2 of this very special multi-part episode with my friend, Daniel, we continue our enlightening conversation about Daniel's experience as a faithful Mormon of 31 years. We discuss rise and fall of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Mormons. We also discuss and try to dispel some of the myths and misunderstandings that some people may have about the Mormon faith including the practice of polygamy and their stance on the "Mark of Cain" and how crimes are dealt with within the Mormon faith community.  Please enjoy the episode and Like, Share and Subscribe!

In this final installment of this three-part series, I continue my discussion with my dear friend, Amy. Amy is a formidable mother of two children with special needs. In this last episode, we focus on her eldest child, Ian, who lives in a group residential home in Maryland. Ian is a wonderfully special teenager who loves nature, Winnie the Pooh (who doesn't?) and his mom. Unfortunately, Amy's and Ian's experiences with finding an appropriate facility capable of taking care of Ian has been a major challenge and we explore what it truly means to have the training, tools and equipment necessary to properly care for an individual with special needs. Finally, if you take nothing else from this riveting three-part series, take this: people with special needs are human beings, too. They love. They dream. They want and need love just like everyone else. Be kind.

In this episode, I sit down with my dear and queer friend, Amy and discuss her upbringing in an "evangelical", religious household and coming out as a lesbian woman to her far-right family. Among other things, we discuss her upbringing in a well-off , far-right, Southern Baptist family (she had a "Mammy" in rural Arkansas). We also discuss what it was like for her to start thinking/feeling for herself, questioning her faith and how she took charge of her life as young adult and ultimately came in to her full identity.

In this episode, we continue to discuss how to begin and engage in awkward conversations. We also talk about the role of trust in our lives and how we build and maintain trust over time. I am once again joined by my best friend and co-host, Paul in this episode.