In this episode, you’ll find that a griot is a storyteller; the keeper of oral tradition and the one who helps to pass the culture forward. We take a trip down memory lane to share some of our own stories and the lessons we’ve learned along the way. We also get to sit down NPR's Chief Diversity Officer, Keith Woods Sr., who's also Keith’s dad. Listen as we tap into a century's worth of his stories!

Woods spent 16 years inspiring people to feel through the stories he wrote and edited for the Times Picayune in New Orleans. A former sports writer, he then worked his way up to become the first Black city editor. At the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, he trained professional journalists on ethics and diversity in reporting and personal essay writing. Woods is also a podcast lover and contributor on the NPR podcast, Code Switch.

Here is a preview of the lessons we share in this episode:

Lessons Learned

Lesson #1: Start taking advantage of the ease and access that technology gives in respect to preserving your story. Woods says, “As human beings we don’t start appreciating the value of this until significantly later in life. And at the point that you start thinking, ‘Oh! That might have been important to preserve’, then it’s too late”.

Lesson #2: Everyone has a story worth telling. One of my favorite quotes from him on this is, “How many people have written a story about teaching their child to ride a bike?...Everybody. But nobody has ever written mine.”

Lesson #3: Don’t take the ordinary moments for granted. Not every experience worth telling is rooted in trauma. As we learn to notice and tell the ordinary stories, we begin to see how much more fulfilling and satisfying our lives really are.

Lesson #4: “The more personal a story becomes, the more universal the lesson.” If you can get down close enough to the details of your own story, not only will it liberate you, but it will also inspire others to do the same.

You’re going to walk away with so much inspiration and insight from this episode.

You’re going to walk away with so much inspiration and insight from this episode.

Subscribe & Review

Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, we want to encourage you to do that today. We don’t want you to miss an episode.

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, we’d be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Write Your Heart Out personal story writing course

www.jomilbell.com

www.keithmarcel.com

Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/theamericangriot

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

BTS… Black Traumatic Stress! Yea, we said it. We’re going there. In this episode, we break down the misconceptions around stress, trauma and the undeniable impact they have in shaping our stories. We explore the various definitions of trauma, our unique experiences with it as Black people, and then dive into the ways we personally navigate the daily microaggressions that trigger stress in our lives.

Lessons Learned

Lesson #1: Stress is something that prevents you from functioning in the way you used to. It’s a chronic disruption of connectedness; impacting how you experience and embrace the world around you.

Lesson #2: Contrary to popular belief, we all have choices in how we process and move through stress. Your very first step is mindfulness. Pay attention to how you presently respond to stress so that you can determine whether those responses still serve you and if they are habits you want to continue.

Lesson #3: We have to give ourselves permission to feel because there are no bad feelings; and all of them are necessary to our evolution as humans. When we develop our emotional toolbox, we can equip ourselves to cope with and overcome trauma.

Lesson #4: We discuss the paradigm shift from “dis-order” to “response” because we are not broken just because our stories carry trauma in them.

Lesson #5: The things you see in your relationships that you want to change are often the things you need to change within yourself. Our internal reality creates our outer form.

Lesson #6: Handle yourself with compassion and patience as you open yourself up to your story so that you can fully experience and appreciate the odyssey that is your life.

You’re going to walk away with so much inspiration and insight from this episode.

Subscribe & Review

Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, we want to encourage you to do that today. We don’t want you to miss an episode. Now if you’re feeling extra loving, we’d be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is.

Links mentioned in this episode:

> Mastin Kipp Podcast

> Dr. Vessel Van Der Kolk

> www.jomilbell.com

> www.keithmarcel.com

Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/theamericangriot

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

If you’ve ever “eaten your feelings”, picked fast food over home-cooked meals; flavor over nutrition, or have struggled to stay consistent with any “new” diet, this episode is for you. We’re going to get to the truth behind why we eat what we eat and why it can be so challenging to change. Then we’ll share some practical tools and resources that can help us to make healthier eating a consistent and convenient part of our daily lives.

You’re going to walk away with so much inspiration and insight from this episode.

Subscribe & Review

Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, we want to encourage you to do that today. We don’t want you to miss an episode.cNow if you’re feeling extra loving, we’d be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Links mentioned in this episode:

> What the Health Documentary on Netflix

> GameChangers Documentary

> Shae’s Cafe on IG @shaes.cafe

> www.jomilbell.com

> www.keithmarcel.com

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.