In the season finale episode, Tracey Michae’l talks with author, visual artist, and teacher, Claudia Love Mair, about the intersection of the arts with mental health and specifically about her own journey with Bipolar Disorder. This candid conversation covers the problematic view of racism as mental illness, Claudia's spiritual evolution and winding journey in publishing, and the beauty in having a different kind of brain.Visit Claudia on IG: @claudialovemair HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and StoryVisit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.comIG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtraceyFB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae'l

Kanye, Covid, & Jesus: Loving and Creating as an Artist Living with Mental Illness

In S2E9 of HeARTtalk, TMLG talks with her partner/husband William Giggetts about the challenges and upsides of living with an artist/creative. The couple talks about the day-to-day frustrations, the ever-elusive notion of balance, and parenting pressures during the pandemic.  HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.comIG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtraceyFB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

The Ups and Downs of Being Married to an Artist/Creator

In S2E8 of HeARTtalk, TMLG talks with actor/playwright, Teresa Miller, about the power of the arts to help us "hear" ourselves so that, in turn, we can love well and heal. The response to grief, for some, is to run as far away from it as possible. And that’s understandable. It hurts. It overwhelms. But Teresa shares with us the hope found in sitting in our grief. Examining it.HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and StoryVisit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.comIG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtraceyFB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

A WAY TO HEAR: Using the Gift of Theater to Heal

In S2E7, TMLG speaks with writer, cinematographer, and producer, Stephanie Malson, about her pivot from corporate security to full-time creative work. The conversation is an intimate and candid look at the ebbs and flows that come with making such a huge transition and the significance of knowing your “why.”  Check out Stephanie’s cinematography reel: https://vimeo.com/223023758Visit her on instagram: @slminspired HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story Visit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.comIG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtraceyFB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

Pivoting on Purpose: Leaving Safe Behind

So much of what we call illness and disease can be linked to how much personal and trans-generational trauma we hold in our bodies. That’s why it is critical in this movement for Black lives that we #fightANDheal. Learning how to return to our bodies can be transformative and one of the ways we can do that is through movement. In S2E6 of HeARTtalk, TMLG speaks with Randall Rosenberg, a NOLA-based dancer and choreographer, about how movement and dance can be a healing force if we can embrace the freedom found in it.Visit Randall on IG at: Instagram.com/IwantmycrownbackHeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and StoryVisit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.comIG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtraceyFB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

"Moving" Toward Wholeness: How Dance Can Help Us Heal

While we—Black people—are fighting, we must also try to heal. We must. In S2E5, Tracey Michae’l talks about choosing to embrace her rage as righteous and the importance of finding subversive ways to heal from the trauma of racism and racial micro-aggressions. One of those tools for healing is gardening and in this episode she chats with Natasha Nicholes of We Sow We Grow and HousefulofNicholes.com about urban homesteading and how gardening/farming has served her own grief journey.HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and StoryVisit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.comIG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtraceyFB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

RAGE & GRIEF: Gardening as a tool for Healing

In S2E4 of HeARTtalk, Tracey Michae'l speaks with author, journalist, and public intellectual, Lori Tharps, about the power of telling our personal stories for personal and collective healing. It’s inevitable that when sharing our personal stories--whether via memoir, essays, or oral storytelling--there will be a myriad of questions that come up. What part of the story should I tell? How much of it should I tell? Who am I "speaking" to and why? Do I need to give the other people in my story a "heads up"? HeARTtalk takes a deep dive into what it means to be “ready” to tell your story.Visit Lori at https://www.loriltharps.com/Visit My American MeltingPot at http://myamericanmeltingpot.com/***HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and StoryVisit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.comIG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtraceyFB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

The Power in Sharing Your Personal Story

The timeline for grief is not standardized. We all journey through it in our own ways. In this episode, TMLG talks with Neysa Taylor, an author and leader in the communications field who recently lost her husband of 17 years, Chris, after his long battle with cancer. The two talked about the ways grief has shown up for Taylor and how she has chosen to help herself and her children navigate it. They also explore how grief shapes us as we try to prepare for a world that’s different from the one we knew before our loss.Visit Neysa online at: www.neysataylor.comHeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and StoryVisit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.comIG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtraceyFB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

Processing Grief

In this episode of HeARTtalk, Tracey Michae’l talks with entrepreneur/influencer/speaker and all around dope woman, Dawn Fitch, Founder and President of Pooka Pure and Simple, a handmade bath and body products company based out of New Jersey. The conversation deep dives into the power of persistence and what it means to advocate for your own wellness. Dawn talks about her journey from graphic designer to entrepreneur/wellness guide to thousands of women, and how she transformed a devastating MS diagnosis into her life’s passion and work.Visit Dawn online at: IG: @pookalita, Facebook: @thebestlifetribewithdawnfitch, www.pookapureandsimple.comHeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and StoryVisit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.comIG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtraceyFB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

Participating in Your Own Healing: What does wellness really mean to the entrepreneur/creative?

In our SEASON TWO opener, Tracey Michae’l talks with Michelle Richard about what it means to find peace after leaving her lucrative corporate career. As an attorney and former C-suite corporate executive for a billion dollar company, the list of Michelle’s accolades is long. But what happens when the concessions and compromises one has to make to reach that level of power and success become too much? Well…you pivot. And you do so with fierceness and grace. That’s what Michelle did and HeARTtalk is grateful that she shares a bit of her sojourn with us.HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and StoryVisit TMLG and the show online at www.hearttalkpodcast.comIG: www.instagram.com/hearttalkwithtraceyFB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

LEAVING CORPORATE: Finding Peace in the Pivot

There’s so much going on right now. So much uncertainty. Sorrow and frustration is seeping into our souls. As we sit with these emotions, we must remember to breathe. Breathing is how we live through it. COVID-19 is trying to steal our breath…physically for some, emotionally and spiritually for others. Let’s reclaim it. Our stories are not finished.***Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.comFB: www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtraceyIG: @hearttalkwithtracey 

BONUS - “Catching” Your Breath in the COVID Crisis: A Meditation

During the podcast hiatus, Tracey Michae’l will share various stories for the heARTtalk community. Enjoy this short work of fictional commentary written by TMLG herself: Meet Mae Green**Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.com Join our online community at https://www.facebook.com/hearttalkwithtracey

STORY TIME:  Meet Mae Green by TMLG

The final episode of season 1 of HeARTtalk is a dynamic one! Tracey Michae’l facilitates a roundtable discussion with Black women professors who share their stories on what it means to create space and be authentic in Academia. The conversation covered a myriad of topics including how and why being unapologetically black can be a struggle. How being an advocate for the marginalized in a way that isn’t denigrating to those groups is too often challenged in a way that doesn’t make sense. And of course, the ever-present bureaucracy that shows up in so many large organizations. It can be hard to fly with some of those weights but these women candidly speak to what it means to fly anyway.Featuring:  Dr. Debonair Oates-Primus, Assistant Professor of English at Community College of PhiladelphiaDr. Nakeiha Primus-Smith, Associate Professor of Education at Millersville UniversityLucia Gbaya-Kanga, Assistant Professor of English at Community College of Philadelphia.***Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story and how we use that space to create work and a life for ourselves. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.com

Black Women Professors Creating Space in Academia

In episode 9 of HeARTtalk, Tracey Michae’l chats with writer, director, and producer, Christina Faith. Christina is a dynamic filmmaker and educator who, along with her spouse, photographer Allen Johnson, owns Creative Thought Media, a Philadelphia-based independent production company and artist collective. TMLG and Christina discuss the challenges of being a Christian filmmaker who doesn’t tell “corny” stories; the role that a creator’s own personal healing journey can have on their work; and how to manage grind culture. Christina goes IN on the false validation that too many artists seek instead of investing in the development of their craft. A great conversation you don’t want to miss!Visit Christina on social media @christinafaith and CTM at www.creativethoughtmedia.com ***Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit TMLG and HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.com 

Creating Creatively: When the Vision is Bigger Than Your Budget

In this episode, TMLG speaks with four of the 11 contributors to the Sex and the Church Girl essay collection published in 2019. The conversation is a no holds barred, candid talk about the ways in which the Christian Church—particularly the Black Church—navigates the subject of sex and sexuality. (Please note that because of the room where this taped, there are some minor tech issues with sound--apologies!)Participants include: author, speaker, and minister, Candace Wilkins, scholar Dr. Felecia Commodore, writer Rainah Chambliss, and artist and family/behavioral health therapist, Cyndi Swinton-Jackson. The conversation that took place was a candid exploration of how sex has (or not)  been taught by the Christian Church—more specifically, the Black Church—and the ways in which those gaps in progressive dialogue have informed the sexuality of women.Purchase your copy of Sex and the Church at www.nsbooksandmedia.com or wherever books are sold. ***Through interviews and riveting commentary, Tracey Michae'l and HeARTtalk podcast explores the intersection of art and story. HeARTtalk is: Healing through Art and Story. Visit HeARTtalk at www.hearttalkpodcast.com 

Sex and the Church Girl: Has the Church Misinformed Women on Sex and Sexuality?

Through interviews and riveting commentary, HeARTtalk will deep dive into the intersection of art and story and how creators heal themselves and others through their work.

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HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae'l

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