Leah Grant

Lakisha Bradley is no stranger to the podcast. She has been a consistent friend and community partner for us. We are excited to have her back! In this episode she shared her passion for art as it stems from both her father and her mother. She traces the early civil rights activism her father had as one of many Black children desegregating schools back in the day. As she reflects with Joi & Denshia it shows that the legacy of social activism started with her father and continues with her work now with MYTBYDESIGN. Lakisha Bradley, is finishing up her Master’s in Counseling and a Certification in Art Therapy. She is currently interning with Cartsen Counseling where she is able to offer free Art Therapy for the community. Lakisha reports how she wants to continue to offer therapy for free or at a discounted price once she is licensed. Lakisha shares with us her journey! We hope you all gain something from her!

On this podcast, we often hear the Black woman’s perspective but we also want to listen to Black Men. In this episode, Deneshia and Joi want to pause to interview a Black man on how he has allowed his passion to fuel his healing journey.Nate Walls has been a pillar in the Northwest Arkansas community by using his career in the food industry to service people from all walks of life since 2017. He uses his catering business, SecondHand Smoke to bring healing and dignity to those who exist in underserved communities.Throughout this episode, Nate shares experiences about how he healed himself among/with Black Women despite the tension that exists in the Black community and how Black women encouraged him to seek support through therapy.We really hope you enjoy the message of resilience and hope that Nate shared with us!Find out more about Nate Walls by visiting his website. https://www.secondhandsmokenwa.co

This episode explores the how one can think outside of the box of how museum exhibitions can be facilitated by utilizing digital humanities. Stevens talks about ways of reconceptualizing the display of African artifacts that are in institutions in the United States. Stevens bring virtual and augmented reality to the exhibition of African artifacts using a process of “affective curation,” which situate objects in their proper social, cultural and emotional contexts.

SPECIAL EPISODE FOR THE CULTURE: In this episode you hear Joi McGowan talking with special guests Dr. Silena Scott and Dr. Jordan Harris all things ELECTION! As we know this year is election year, tensions are high and yet this election is so monumental to have a Black woman running for president. We hope you can grab some tangible skills for how to manage emotions regarding the election. We also hope you can celebrate with us that a Black woman is running for president!Dr. Silena is the executive director of Hearts for Healing Therapeutic Services in NWA. A member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, Dr. Scott works tirelessly to uphold Zeta’s tenant of being a “community-conscious, action-oriented minority leader!” Additionally, Dr. Scott remains deeply invested in nurturing the next generation of clinicians, enriching the field through her role in training aspiring therapists at John Brown University.Jordan Harris, Ph.D., LMFT-S, LPC-S is the lead author of the book Deliberate Practice in Multicultural Therapy. Dr. Harris is also co-developer of the Private Practice Incubator, a coaching program teaching therapists how to leave community based work and start their own solo counseling practices. Dr. Harris runs a solo counseling practice (Harris Couples Counseling, Marriage Therapy, & Private Practice Coaching) in Northwest Arkansas where he specializes in working with couples.

This episode explores the activism of Black Teachers in the 1950s. When a number of teachers lost their jobs during the desegregation period, they sprang into action triggering the actions of the NAACP. As public education became a highly contested terrain, teachers moved to the forefront in this oft-forgotten chapter of the Civil Rights Movement.

Deneshia and Joi had a chance to sit down with Na’Tosha Devon to talk about her way of finding healing through the arts. She reminds us that our resilience is not just about out strength. She asserts that our resilience has a lot more to do with our ability to be vulnerable and deeply connected. Na’Tosha shares ways that the arts have been healing for her. Na’Tosha discusses how she navigates telling the messiness of the middle, triumph of our stories, and the softness of who we are and who we get to be as Black women. You can learn more about what Na”Tosha is doing by visiting her website: https://www.natoshadevon.org/aboutLet us know what you are taking away from this episode! Na’Tosha has two poetry books out that you can purchase if you want to support her work at https://www.natoshadevon.org/category/all-products

We talk with Arkansas International Writer-at-Risk, Uchenna Awoke about his debut novel, "The Liquid Eye of a Moon." Described as a modern day, A Nigerian Catcher in the Rye, Uchenna Awoke’s masterful debut breaks the silence about a hidden and dangerous contemporary caste system. The Liquid Eye of a Moon" is by turns hilarious and poignant, capturing all the messiness of adolescence, and the difficulty of making your own way in a world that seeks to oppress you.

The podcast “Resilient Black Women” is a space for reimagining mental health access for communities of color. Hosted by Joi McGowan and Deneshia Simpson, the series is in its fifth season and has begun a recurring segment called “Producer’s Corner.” In this part of each episode, show producer and multimedia artist Leah Grant brings a question or topic to discuss. In this excerpt from this month’s episode, Leah and Joi talk about how to implement care while navigating certain attachment styles.

On today's show, assessing gender equity with the the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas. Also, work begins to restore the Carnegie Library building in Fort Smith. Plus, April Wallace gives us local events for your weekend.

Our Producer Leah Grant is an artist in her own right. Leah is a passionate artist based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, who brings a personal touch to her craft. She graduated with her MFA in Studio Art from the University of Arkansas’ School of Art program in 2021 and her BFA from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas in 2016. Leah’s art practice is all about building intimacy in public spaces by incorporating reflective thought processes in mediums such as print, photo, audio, and writing.This season she graces us with her presence in our new segment called “Producer’s Corner” , where Leah bring’s a topic or question she has about mental health. In today’s episode, We talk about how you can implement care with each other while navigating our attachment styles,managing expectations on assigned roles, and giving yourself permission to show up “messy”.We hope you love this one! Let us know your thoughts!