Burnout doesn’t always announce itself.
Sometimes it just asks you to sit down.

In this episode of The Secret Life of TK Dutes, a late-night scroll turns into a flight to Minneapolis, an upholstery class, and a quiet reckoning with rest and healing. TK meets furniture designer/curator/editor Nicole Crowder, and what starts as a conversation about chairs becomes one about creative burnout, self-trust, and leaving hustle culture without making a scene about it.

They talk about making things with your hands, about why comfort feels political, about how Black women creatives have always known how to make home out of whatever’s available. About chairs as witnesses. About the right to rest. No big reveal - just the slow realization that burnout recovery might look less like escape and more like listening.

After the episode, TK sits with producer Tre’ Jones to briefly unpack what this episode shifted inside of them. The full post-episode reflection lives on Patreon.

This episode doesn’t rush.
It pulls up a chair and waits.

Welcome back to The Secret Life of TK Dutes.
Episode 2: An Invitation to Sit.

Special thanks: Nicole Crowder, Tre' Jones (Producer), Manny Faces (Engineer), Faybeo’n Mickens (Marketing), Pat Mesiti-Miller (Theme Music), Gabrielle Smith (Art)

👉🏾 Follow Nicole Crowder on IG @nicolecrowderupholstery | nicolecrowderupholstery.com

👉🏾 Follow TK on IG: @tastykeish | @philosfuturemedia
👉🏾 Go behind the scenes on Patreon: patreon.com/c/SecretLifeofTK

In this mini-episode of The Secret Life of TK Dutes, TK shares a story time about how creativity and community helped her find her way back to herself.

Burned out, depressed, and desperate to get off the laptop, TK started making functional art just to keep her hands busy.
What began as an exercise in avoidance turned into an unexpected metaphor for her own life and marked a turning point.

The episode also features listener call-ins about healing, reflection, and rebuilding.

📞 Call The Secret Life Line: (929) 551-4363
🎙️ Or send a voice note to philosfuturemedia[at]gmail[dot]com

Produced by Keisha “TK” Dutes
Post-production audio by C.

More minisodes and behind-the-scenes moments to come.

**Coming Soon: Episode 2: An Invitation to Sit**

Hey friends,

The way y’all have been pulling up about Episode 1, The Hustle Don’t Love You Back, has been… phewww. Thank you for trusting me with your journeys through burnout.

But now I wanna hear from you, about your healing journey.

The part where you started finding your way back to yourself. The small stuff. The weird stuff. The stuff that feels like a shortcut to peace. Maybe it’s art. Maybe it’s therapy. Maybe it’s your cousin telling you to sit down somewhere. Maybe it’s that one moment in the day where everything gets still for no reason.

Call me and drop a short reflection.

Start with: “My name is ___, and one thing that’s helping me heal is ___.”

I would love to share some of these on The Secret Life of TK Dutes, so we can all learn from each other — how we’re healing, creating, and trying to imagine a life that feels like ours again.

Leave your message at 929-551-4363 or send a voice note to philosfuturemedia@gmail.com.

Can’t wait to hear what your healing sounds like — the soundtrack, the vibe, the whole mood.

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★